My One In A Million
by Renoa Heartilly
Summary: In a world of many options, he only really needs one. In-Universe, post-War Sasuhina. Finished.
1. Chapter 1

**My One In A Million**

Sasuke was not amused.

Not many things amused him anymore, but in this precise moment he was especially displeased.

His eyes shot towards the far tree to the west; two Anbu members. The building to the east, four or more, some twenty feet behind him was another one.

That wasn't the worst of it; he'd gotten used to their presence around him all the time.

What got on his nerves were the many Narutos.

The Konoha rebuilding team was recieving unlimited help with their work because of the collective strength of the clones; occasionally they would all pop out and disappear because the real one ran out of energy, hungry.

What a joke.

Sasuke wasn't in charge of any actual labor, but Tsunade wouldn't let him stay at home and not work.

Frankly, the rebuilding of the village was the last thing on his priority list. He'd come back with Naruto when the war ended; out of loyalty and friendship to the orange-haired boy, nothing more. Of course, he was old enough to have his own place; it was an old apartment in the part of town that hadn't gotten destroyed but whose owner died in the war. Really weird people lived in the other apartments because they couldn't -or wouldn't- help, but none of them dared look him in the eye; so all was well.

Naruto was walking towards him with a 'aw man this sucks' expression on his face; Sasuke knew it was time to abandon his post in the tool shed and get dragged to that awful ramen shop once more. "Nee nee, Sasuke." The boy drawled in a whiny voice. "I'm hungry. Let's go eat."

Sasuke sighed and didn't hide his annoyance. "You don't need a chaperone."

The blonde grinned. "Ahahaha! But today is different!" he totally dodged Sasuke's excuse. "The restoration team's got a kitchen set up between this district and the one on the other side, so we get free food now!"

The Uchiha rolled his eyes. "I'll pass." He didn't like over greasy, tasteless noodles; but he absolutely would not put something in his mouth that had gotten tossed around a makeshift kitchen with hairy old ladies for cooks.

"Eh? Aren't you hungry?" He narrowed his eyes. "I was with you since breakfast and it's almost afternoon now, you're probably starving, right? Come on, let's go!" He threw his arm over the reluctant, albeit hungry young man, and dragged him across the street.

People gave them weird looks; no one understood why the strong, heroic Uzumaki Naruto would care for the piece of filth, the murderous, heartless traitor that was Uchiha Sasuke. Some people still openly glare at him, but none dared say what was on their minds; they didn't need to as he can guess.

The Anbu around town weren't to guard the rebuilding team in Konoha's weak days from sudden outsider attacks; they where there to restrain him if he made any wrong move.

He'd done a lot of arguing and fighting when he first got back; the interrogation team had a field day with him and even the Council had trouble accepting that he wasn't going to kill them in their sleep. The recent buildings were nearly leveled to the ground again when he and Naruto had a big argument over him leaving, Sasuke insisted that the village wasn't worth staying at anymore, while Naruto argued the walls can always be rebuilt a thousand times as long as there are people to build it. Egos were hurt, so were noses, in the end Tsunade told them to stop in return of giving Sasuke some training time to let off some steam.

He was allowed two hours a day of training with Naruto only, in the wasteland that had once been the Uchiha District; even then Anbu squads would be surrounding them to watch and probably interfere when things got dangerous.

He could never really understand the concept of having them around; it was like ants pretending to keep an eagle in check; he could crush all of them at once but he just couldn't be bothered to. Let them pretend to have the upper hand, let them pretend to be stronger than him; it kept them busy and made others fear interacting with him and decide not to get in his business, so all was good.

"You know," Naruto started happily, letting go of Sasuke's neck and shoving his hands into his pockets. "Sakura chan is on cooking duty today! Did you know that?"

Sasuke didn't even bother to hide the eye roll.

"It's not why we're going! It's not!" the boy blushed. "I'm just hungry, ok? Look there it is!" He dashed towards a relatively large building made of wood, the chimney at the top was lazily spewing smoke indicating that there was activity inside. The sky was cloudy and lighting shook the mountains in the distance, the thick clouds threatened to rain, but the ground was dry for now.

The building was relatively small, but it managed to serve as a small restaurant with an open kitchen and several tables to sit at while having one's meal. The smell was making his stomach do an uncomfortable twist and he realized he'd been without food for far too long. He followed the bellowing idiot across the empty table space and into the kitchen area. He scanned the faces of the few ladies in there; Sakura was there doing more talk than work, two older ladies he didn't know or care to meet stood around chatting; and then there was the quiet Hyuuga girl with the long hair washing dishes and listening to Sakura.

Her bland name escaped him, but he remembers her from the pack that set off to grab him from Madara's side. She'd gotten injured during the fight along with almost everyone, looks like she's assigned cooking duty because of that injury.

"Sakura chaaaan~" Naruto sang and sauntered in like he owned the place. The older ladies groaned and shooed him out, but he ignored them. "Hinata chan! What's for lunch?"

"Lunch is over! There's only leftovers!" Sakura grabbed a frying pan threateningly before her eye caught the quiet Uchiha pour himself a cup of tea behind the counter. "O- Oh, Sasuke kun. Are you guys hungry?"

"You bet! What's there to eat?"

Sakura glanced at Sasuke for a minute before smiling at Naruto. "Nikujaga and rice; it's kinda cooled down now though."

"Meat and potato soup! I don't care if it's iced over! I'm starving!"

"Would you be having some, Sasuke kun?" She asked uncertainly.

He shot her a glare that told her she had no right to ask that. Sakura couldn't hide her dismay when she grabbed a plate and pretended to chat with Naruto casually. He took another sip of the warm tea and directed his studying gaze to the others. His stomach begged to be filled up with something heavy and hot; he didn't want to get drowsy afterwards so he decided to take it slow. Naruto was already digging through his food right there without waiting to sit down, Sakura was trying to interrupt his excitement to tell him to get a table but he wouldn't stop to breathe let alone think; the Hyuuga girl was observing their interaction with a soft smile. Her white eyes suddenly turned to him, sensing his eyes on her, the smile faded away to an expression of polite curiosity.

He looked back, she didn't flinch away or talk; nothing. He wondered if she was even looking at him and not some kilometer's away into the distance. "Hyuuga." He said, everyone in the kitchen stopped talking and looked at him; Sakura even put down the ladle.

The girl simply blinked. "Hai?"

"Did you help make it?"

Her eyes wandered to the side- so she _has_ been looking at him. "H- Hai." She nodded.

"She practically made it all, I was away and Haruno joined us later on." One of the older ladies said stiffly, as if to tell him to stay out of their business and leave the girl alone.

"Did you taste it?" He pressed.

Her white eyes met his, curious to where the conversation was going. "I did."

"Would you feed it to your father?" Everyone knew the Hyuuga Lord's prudent nature; the guy had his own chef who lived in his house.

He could sense the chakra around him pulsating, Naruto stopped wolfing down his food and chewed slowly, Sakura was nervous; they expected him to cause a scene, no doubt, the fools.

"I- I think I would." The girl said.

He put the tea cup down and slowly made his way to the pot, Sakura edged away and Naruto sighed; returned to his soup and rice but kept a watchful eye. Sasuke brought the ladle up and let the smell drift into his nose, he intended to bring it to his lips for a taste, but the girl with the long hair offered him a bowl.

"P- Please respect the others." She said to the bowl with furrowed brows. "D- Don't put that back in the pot, please."

He stopped, the soup just an inch away from his lips. He put it down and glared at her; he'd only looked at people with mild interest up until now, but now he was seeing red. "Excuse me?" He turned to her, she didn't look up. "What do you mean?"

"Sasuke." Naruto said in a low voice.

"Respect the others? Did they tell you I'm not supposed to eat from the same pot?" He towered over her, but she didn't step back. "It'll get filthy, wouldn't it?"

"Sasuke!" Naruto put his bowl down, but Hinata spoke before he got between them.

"Y- You wouldn't like it if Naruto kun did it, right?" She peeked up through long bangs and thick lashes. "M- My father wouldn't either. W- We don't taste directly, either, ne?" Her head tipped slightly to the side where the older ladies were nodding their heads. "It's not sanitary."

His anger was threatening to overflow, but he took a deep breath and gave it a moment to subside; it would be problematic if he let his temper get the best of him, not now, not ever. "Whatever." Nobody else dared look at him, but this girl was actually telling him to mind his manners.

It was interesting.

He'd always been the strong one, the person in command of the situation; the only reason he'd let someone have their way was if it was to his benefit, or if they were driving a kunai into his heart.

For the record, he's not dead yet.

"I'll… I'll bring you a tray." She said quietly to him, edging to the pot and filling the bowl carefully. He watched her closely; long hair, thin hands, obvious nervous habits.

Fragile.

"I'll be over there." He said finally, glancing at the pink-haired girl who was looking away, unknowingly leaning away from him and closer to Naruto. Sasuke paddled past them without a word and seated himself at a table in the farthest corner away from the door.

A part of him missed the days when he used to be just another boy in the circle of laughing friends, another part of him, the one that now dominated, was proud of his affect on people. Right now several Anbu were retreating- he could feel their chakra-suppressed aura, he also caught sight of a messenger hawk cross the cloudy skies through the window.

He smirked. With just one word, one footstep, he could spin a whole village on his fingertip.

"What's your name?" He asked the approaching girl.

"Hyuuga Hinata." She answered a little bit uncertainly. "Here's your, um, lunch." She gently placed a tray in front of him, the soup bowl was full to the brim and she was generous with the rice. "All this for me? It's because they're leftovers, isn't it?" His pride was protesting, but it was fun to the put the words in their mouths and watch them stumble all over themselves to deny their real thoughts, even though it only proves it further.

"I- I don't think it's healthy to say that about yourself." She interlaced her fingers tightly. "Y- You're our friend, and you work hard, you deserve good food. Please tomorrow come earlier before it gets cold." She nodded with a quick "Thank you for your hard work." And turned to disappear in the back towards the kitchens.

He didn't want to admit it, but this was probably the best meal he'd had since coming back, he didn't like food too hot, anyway.

He would have to come earlier tomorrow and try it while it's hot, and then complain.

Author's note: Whoa, long time away from the fandom and FFnet XD I kept thinking about Sasuhina after catching up with the latest manga issues, so i'll keep this as a dump for all the sasuhina ideas i get *_* i don't know if this will be an in-universe series of one shots or one long fanfic *shrugs* we'll see, i might not even continue it =_= ANYWAY, hope it was a good read XD


	2. Chapter 2

**My One In a Million**

Chapter Two:

Rain was falling in thick sheets when they finally came up to Konoha's gates. Naruto was soaked to the bone, Sakura was wringing her coat under the protection of a tree and Sasuke was the only one with the sense to draw the coat over his head and so was generally dry. "First mission since coming back, eh?" The blond grinned, liquid running down the bridge of his nose and hair. "How's it feel?"

"Wet." He replied simply, tugging at the hood to cover the damp ends of his fringe.

Naruto laughed and waved to the guards who were pushing the heavy gates open. "Old hag will be glad when she finds out you've come back! She was totally against taking you with us to the Cloud Country; she thought you'd run away again."

Sasuke easily stepped on the surface of a large puddle as he kept in step; his sandals dry. "Believe me, when I want to leave, I'd be gone so fast you wouldn't even know where to start looking."

The other boy grumbled with narrowed eyes. "Don't say it like that, it'll bring bad luck. And the guys can hear you; they'll tell old hag." The guards jumped and said no, but Naruto gave them a funny frown anyway. "See, they totally will."

"Whatever." They ducked under the front of a closed shop and Sasuke pulled his hood down. "Sakura really messed up, be sure to mention that to Tsunade."

"She didn't mean to!" He defended. "You make her nervous! She says you glare a lot."

"This is the face I was born with." He shifted the luggage over his shoulder and shook drops of water out of his hair. "She's incompetent and slow, I don't want to be on the same team as her again, alright?" The woman with the pink hair had been approaching them, but heard this and pretended to have been aiming towards the main road.

"Aw, look, she heard you! Stop being such a bully!" Naruto said with a punch to the shoulder, and launched himself after the girl. "Sakura chaaaan-"

He watched them disappear beyond a corner and directed his attention to a four-man group of hooded figures; they exited the gate's checkpoint and passed in front of him on their way out. A giant dog tagged along which indicated an Inozuka family member was with his team on a mission. A girl with an umbrella followed the overgrown dog and spoke to it softly. One of the hooded figures stopped right there in the middle of the square, turned to him and stared through impenetrable dark shades. The girl hiding under her gray umbrella spoke to him, too soft to pick up through the rain, the boy was obviously of the Aburame clan; he went on his way after a short pause and joined his team outside. Whoever he was, he was probably a close friend, the body language said it all.

The girl made her way to him and he had half the mind to turn away and go home; he was tired and dirty, but decided it would be good entertainment to watch whoever she was make a fool of herself.

Once under the protection of the shop front, she put away her umbrella to reveal herself as Hyuuga Hinata. "Good afternoon." She watched the guards push the gates shut after the exiting team. "You worked hard."

"Not really." He quipped and pretended to be interested in the gates.

Her shoulders squared. "I- It's just a phrase…" there was a stretch of uncomfortable silence before she finally spoke again. "Well, I'm going home."

"That's none of my concern." He said and pulled the hood on, picked up his heavy bag and stepped into the rain.

He did not care for her as a person, not her, not anybody other than Uzumaki.

Sure, he'd spent his free time during the mission trying to remember her. Eventually, it was fruitless as he could barely recall any interaction between them from when he was a schoolboy. Back then, he'd had other things to worry about. He'd thought about her a lot, but it didn't mean he was interested in her personally, not at all.

It was just that picking apart the dull parts of his childhood memories seemed like a better waste of time than reliving the eventful ones.

In a way, it was keeping him sane; for several years his life had been about death and fights and the anger.

The all-consuming anger that nearly ate him alive.

It was almost a relief to just sit back in wait, and let his thoughts wander to that time he had been a boy who worried about homework, who feigned sickness on field trips to spend the day reading comic cooks at home. A boy who joined his friends on peeping escapades, who received childish love letters from girls he didn't know and who once classified his female classmates into categories based on their eligibility to bear his children.

In the end, he couldn't remember her at all even though he had very good eyes; so he decided that Hinata had not been in the same school building as him.

He could hear footsteps behind him, for the longest while he ignored them but they were still following him even into the dark, neglected part of town. "Why are you following me?" He turned to glare at her.

Her eyes were wide. "I- I'm sorry…My house is…" She stopped mid-sentence and continued to walk, head down and umbrella slightly slanted. She sped forward passed him and took a right turn into a lantern-lit road.

Oh, the Hyuuga district must be that way.

Wait, that means he'd passed the apartment complex a couple of blocks back, the way was still unfamiliar and he often got sidetracked when going back to his apartment.

He was still uncomfortable about calling it 'home'.

Sasuke glanced at the familiar stretch road ahead, at the end of it there would be a turn left, which would take him to the edge of the village where the mountains curved around the wasteland.

The Uchiha District.

_His_ wasteland.

He adjusted the bag over his shoulder and took that road, he wasn't allowed any training at night and going there alarmed him to the feeling of several eyes on him, he couldn't see their owners but he knew they were there.

Who knows, maybe that Hyuuga girl was supposed to spy on him, too. He wouldn't put it past Tsunade to get someone like her to befriend him to make it easier to keep an eye on him. He'd seen it happen to his brother, the same suspicious skulking of guards and sudden friendliness of his classmates, right before everything happened.

In this village, the only excuse they need is a shred of doubt, to treat you like a criminal, and yet they still expect you to be loyal and help around with rebuilding and pretend you lived for the sake of the community…

Even now, the interrogation squad set no limits to the methods they used on him, they literally tried everything and when it seemed like his soul was about to depart, they'd heal him back to life. Madara's seal on the roof of his mouth was stronger than anything they'd ever dealt with and kept him conveniently quiet whenever the topic regarded the Uchiha secrets. He could utter vague things: where they'd camped once, and what they were up to in the past, but their hiding quarters or allies were still a mystery to the Konoha people.

He knew, but couldn't be bothered to get between them anymore, the war is over and he intended to keep it that way.

It was what Itachi wanted, it was what Naruto fights for everyday. It was the way of the Ninja he chose for himself.

Tsunade almost gave the OK to send him out on a mission to raid possible locations to flush out Kabuto, but was too afraid he would disappear and never return.

Maybe now she will let him go.

Some days he wondered if Konoha wanted peace at all, maybe the Hokage council was still as corrupt as it had been before; maybe they're not listening to Naruto at all. After all, they are still sending out fighters to different parts of the world.

He was alright with peace treaty missions like the one he just came back from, but if they intended to send him out to trigger another war, he would tear them apart one by one and set their torn limbs on fire.

Hot chakra stirred in his gut, he suddenly wanted to hit someone, to break arms and demolish villages. But no, not today, not anymore.

He rubbed his eyes to clear away haziness and dropped his bag at the clearing.

His body was at it's limit, if he fought with all his power the next time, it might just be the last. Either he would die, which was fine, or he would loose his eyesight, which was unacceptable.

He'd experienced the feeling of being blind for the shortest while, two weeks, they were the weakest he'd ever been his entire life. He'd had to depend on others to do everything for him; to take him where he wanted to go, put the spoon in his hand and open doors for him. They had to be with him every minute of every day.

He hated it.

The district in front of him was nothing but a stretch of dirt, not a single piece of wood or stone remained; the Uchiha district was completely demolished.

Sasuke glanced up, the rain had thinned noticeably but the sky was still dim. It was probably sunset because the lights on the streets were being lit one by one. He flopped onto the ground, mud and soil and all, in return for a clear view of the endless sky.

He closed his eyes and let the cold rain wash over his forehead. Right here in this very spot, several years ago, was a boy who lay face-up on his bed, daydreaming about meaningless things while waiting for his mother's voice to call him down for supper.

"Sasuke san?"

His brows furrowed. His mother would never call him _san_. He let his eyes slide open to glare at the person who did.

Hyuuga Hinata was standing over him with her umbrella tipped to shield his face. "Are you alright?"

"I was, and then you showed up." He shut his eyes and hoped this was enough to chase her away.

She was quiet for a moment. "W- Well, Hokage-sama wants to see you."

"I know where her office is."

"Actually… She and my father… They're inviting you for dinner…"

He puffed a deep sigh. "What does she want?" It must be something ridiculous if she wanted to smooth it out with a dinner.

"I don't know."

"Where is she now?"

"In our house." She was leaning forward slightly. "Would you like me to guide you?"

He hated the words 'guide you' so he sat up without a word and brushed his coat. He picked up his bag and walked straight ahead towards the Hyuuga district with her tagging along behind him. They passed by several houses before he stopped in the middle of the road to take a better look around. Every house was exactly identical to the other, there weren't any nameplates and the only indication that someone lived in those traditional wooden structures was the occasional sentry passing them on their patrol around the neighborhood. The lanterns lining the roads gave the area an eerie orange glow and some houses even had their family gravestones right there in the front yard. He turned his glance to the girl and she wordlessly led the way to the house a few blocks ahead. Hyuuga clan members probably felt deprived of privacy here, having to live amongst others who can see through walls and all…

Her hair swayed back and forth in front of him, which got him wondering about how she could be a fighter and still keep her hair that long without chopping it off in a fit of frustration.

Unlike the last time he'd seen her, the edges that brushed her lower back were different, straight. "You cut it." He said to the rain.

Hinata glanced back, a worried expression disappearing off her face. "Hm?"

"You cut your hair." He remembered looking at the frayed edges when she walked away on that first day they met.

"Just a little, no one else noticed." She turned away when a small smile crept it's way to her mouth. "I- It was splitting at the ends so…"

"So just cut it all off." It'd be faster if she just chopped the whole thing off like Sakura did, it wouldn't get in the way, and it would make an impression on boys.

"It was short when I was younger, I didn't like it much…" Her smile was both relieved and apologetic. "My baby sister set off a prank seal under my pillow, there was gum everywhere." As if remembering something important, she shook her head and pointed to a low gate that led to a house identical to the others in shape, but larger in size. "Please, come in."

He couldn't picture Hinata with short hair, for some reason he imagined she'd look even more breakable if she exposed the back of her neck the way Sakura and Ino did.

Wait…

An image came to mind, of a little girl with pale skin, Hyuuga eyes and ridiculously short hair- almost shaved bald- who'd always followed Naruto around and hid behind inanimate objects.

He turned around in the middle of the stone pathway and just stared at her face, trying to find a connection between the weak little girl he remembered, and the woman standing in front of him now with polite curiosity in her eyes and the guts to stand up to him when nobody else could.

No way, they couldn't be the same person, he probably remembered another Hyuuga girl, maybe that baby sister she spoke of.

Once at the entrance, one Hyuuga guard with a permanent frown took custody of his bag while the other gave him dirty looks for stepping into the manor with that filthy jacket.

Or probably because he was Uchiha Sasuke.

Sasuke didn't even acknowledge their displeasure when he dropped his muddy sandals at the door and followed the young woman. She, too, had taken off her sandals and arranged them carefully before placing her folded umbrella in it's stand. Hinata offered him slippers and guided him just a little bit further ahead; she stood at a traditional sliding door and announced their presence. "Hokage sama, Father."

"Come in." A male voice said which, upon sliding the door open, appeared to be the Hyuuga clan head whom he couldn't be bothered to remember the first name of.

"You wanted to see me?" Sasuke stepped out of the slippers and into the room; the feel of warm tatami mats under his feet was almost pleasant. It's been ages since he'd been in a traditional house, it smelled like altar candles and green tea and arrogance.

"Yes, why didn't you come see me when your team came back from the Cloud?" Tsunade said from where she sat at the low table.

He shrugged. "Naruto said he'd take care of it." More like, he told Naruto to take care of it.

Tsunade's thin brows furrowed. "He barely stuck around long enough to hand me the mission report before he disappeared somewhere. Did something happen?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and glared at the curious Hinata who was standing two feet away from him with her hands clasped tightly in front of her. "Sakura accidentally knocked out a guard on our way in and caused a village-wide siege. We barely slipped by unnoticed but a squad was sent after us later on and we had to hide our tracks. That's why we were a week late. She's probably throwing a fit about it and Naruto was in a rush to be the hero again."

She nodded. "And the message?"

"Delivered."

Her massive chest expanded with a relieved sigh. "All is well then. Did any of you get hurt?"

He fought the urge to scoff at her. "We'll live." He shifted his weight and glanced around the room before crossing his arms and stating. "So I'm trustworthy now? Can you call off your Anbu spies?" He shot a pointed glance at the girl.

"What spies?"

"The guys that are always breathing down my neck, I know why they're there and I want them to find someone else to eyeball."

The older woman shot a glance at the Hyuuga leader. "They're guarding the village, Sasuke, I can't tell them to stop doing their job just because you're paranoid. Why would they want to watch you, anyway? That's ridiculous."

He wasn't buying it, but decided it wasn't important to discuss it right now, as long as she knew that he knew, the topic will come up again later. Right now, he was absolutely starving, tired, wet and cold, and just wanted to go home. "If we're done here." He turned to leave.

"Did you have dinner?" Tsunade suddenly switched to pleasant-mode. "Please, Join us, Hiashi would like to discuss something with you."

"What, now you're playing Mom?" he uncrossed his arms and turned to slide the door open, not interested in their bribery.

"Uchiha." The man finally spoke. "Hokage sama and myself have been discussing a mission only you can perform, it will save lives and uproot evil around the world."

He wasn't interested in saving the world. "Just leave things the way they are, saving the world isn't your job."

The older man was offended, almost as if it was the first time in his life that someone interrupted him or expressed their opinion. "My, what awful manners you have; just as expected from an Uchiha child."

The Hyuuga had always quarreled with the Uchiha, but this was overkill. "I'm sure your son will turn out just like me if you've had your whole clan wiped out on orders of the very person you have at your table." Anger churned at the bottom of his throat. "Oh wait, you don't have a son. I guess that makes you the last branch of the family tree, just like me."

Hiashi attempted to sit up but Tsunade held her hand up. "Sasuke, we're trying to fix things, alright? I know you're not the best of friends but if you have a Hyuuga on your team you could accomplish more. You'll have a better chance with someone looking out for you, or maybe several ones, Hiashi san agreed to loan us the strongest men of his clan for this mission."

"Not interested." He slid the door shut behind him, it slammed into the frame with a loud _slap!_ He stomped across the narrow path, wood hissed under the massive pressure of his slippers on the floor, and headed straight to the exit. Someone opened a door and was running towards him so he turned around to turn them into ash if they intended to attack him.

Hyuuga Hinata stood a few feet away from him, catching her breath. "Sasuke san, please wait a minute."

"What, did the old bag give you more orders?" He pulled on his sandals with more force than needed, fighting back the blinding anger. The Guards on either side of them exchanged glances.

She blinked. "What? Why would… I just hope you'll reconsider. Maybe not today…" She fidgeted. "T- The enemy is active in a country far away, I heard my father talk about it but no one outside the Hyuuga is supposed to know. Please, it's important to defend Konoha."

He straightened up and glared at her. "Tell me one thing that's great about this village of yours." He could feel the tense chakra of the guards standing two feet away on either side of him, but he went on. "You fight to the death and for what? For a circle of crippled, selfish council members that will sooner tuck tail and run off than support you in a fight."

Her lips were pressed together tightly.

"When Pein wiped off half the village, who died? The innocent townspeople. When I went in to find my family's murderer, do you know who fought back? The leaders of other countries! Where was the precious council when you needed them the most? Hiding in holes and praying for a miracle, that's what. I'm only here because of my loyalty to Naruto, it doesn't extend any further, princess."

For some reason, tears were pooling in her eyes; he could see she was trying to hide it and wondered why she wasn't trying to use them to persuade him. "I- I don't know any members of the council." She took a shaky deep breath; her voice came out steady the next try. "But I know that the children need food and school, and mothers need safe homes and fighters need hospitals. I- I don't care about death or what it means to anybody other than the people we love; teachers and families and friends. Maybe… Maybe there's another side to it, but it doesn't matter! If they're not safe, then I must do something about it, even if I die!"

Sasuke tugged his bag out of the hands of the guard at the door. "Go ahead and die then." He shoved the door open.

"At least take some dinner with you, please." She said after him, her hands were fisted in the air as if she was trying to stop herself from hiding her face.

"I don't need your charity." He spat and exited without another word.

"It's not…" Her voice trailed off as she watched him cross the stone path to the main gate and hop over it into the main street, then disappear into the misty night.

"I just wished you'd have some while it's hot…" She gently slid the door shut and pressed her sleeve to her face.

Notes: I'm sure many of you know this, but San and Sama are honorifics in Japanese, they indicate respect from the speaker to the one addressed. Sasuke doesn't follow this code with anybody, it's considered disrespectful XD Thank you for all the reviews 8D


	3. Chapter 3

**My One in a Million**

Chapter Three:

Sasuke glared at the empty shelf in front of him, the basket that hung off his arm was empty save a bag of tomatoes. "How can there be no pasta?" He growled at the empty space. "Noodles, ramen, rice, but no pasta." Maybe if he glared hard enough, a pasta package would materialize out of thin air so he could take it.

He hated cooking, but also hated Ichiraku's ramen and was too proud to sit for a free meal with the rest of Konoha's working population.

In the end, he decided to grab a bag of bread and a jug of juice before heading to the only counter. Seeing as this was the only convenient store currently open in the village, everybody did their shopping here and supplies didn't last long. It was Seven at night and not many were in line, but the guy at the front was wasting everyone's time by chatting with the clerk about the weather.

Sasuke sighed and watched the hair of the person in front of him dance in response, and as if slapped with a wet towel, he realized that the one girl he'd been avoiding the whole time was standing right in front of him.

It's been weeks since he'd last seen her, why did she have to be here now? Oh, right, she probably hadn't noticed he was there, she'll just get her basket unloaded, pay for her stuff, and then go home.

Right.

He didn't want to see her or talk to her or think about her, everything about her annoyed him.

She was hard to understand.

Her body was difficult to evaluate because of the baggy, unflattering clothes she wore everyday.

She was the daughter of the one person who agreed to loan the Hokage his whole clan in order to accompany him on a ghost hunt outside Konoha. Of course, that said a lot about the clan leader's dedication to keep the village safe, but it said nothing about him coming back alive.

There was also the fact that the few times he and Hinata ever met, they'd always get into some argument; it was a waste of his time.

His eyes studied the long hair that trailed down her gray shirt, the edges were cropped straight but were slightly damp. No wonder, it's been raining nonstop for a while now. Her shirt stopped mid-thigh where an even uglier pair of track pants covered her legs to the ankles.

If one looked at her now, they would never believe she's the spoiled princess of the village's most obnoxious clan.

A small bag in her loaded basket caught his attention, and he tilted his head slightly to read what was visible on the translucent container: pasta.

He had to take a deep breath then breathe out slowly, twice.

He hated Irony.

Hinata stepped forward as the guy at the front finally got his bag and left and the line proceeded; he followed.

What to do?

If he asked her to give it to him, it'll seem desperate and intrusive; he didn't want to strike up conversation unless he absolutely had to. But then again, he'd been eating ramen and rice all month and today, when he finally decided to satisfy the craving for tomato pasta, they were fresh out of pasta.

Suddenly, the girl turned slightly to look him in the eye. "Sasuke san, it's been a while." She greeted softly, as if she wasn't sure she should be talking to him.

"Mm." Ignore her? Or get the pasta? "Pretty empty store, huh?"

Her smile was unsure. "Yes. I- Is there something wrong with my basket?"

Damn it, of all the people in the world, he had to get in line behind someone with eyes on the back of their head. "Not really."

"I see…" She turned away and was quiet.

_What's this?_ He thought, _is this a trick?_ She pretends she isn't interested in talking to him so he would feel inclined to talk to her more? Is this how girls played hard to get these days?

He wasn't interested in love games so he decided to not analyze the situation further. Ha! Take _that_ princess!

The weird thing is, he didn't attempt to talk to her; and she actually seemed okay with that. Sasuke watched the clerk unload the items from her basket and pass them across the machine before stuffing them into a plastic bag. Garlic, Onion, tomatoes, pasta, lettuce, a large bottle of water and a tissue box.

With growing disappointment, he watched her pay the clerk and carry the bags outside.

It wasn't a game; she really didn't spare him a glance.

But she's a Hyuuga, he thought, for all her knew she could have been staring at him the whole time.

He paid for his few items quickly and exited, unfolding his umbrella and noticing Hinata struggle with hers. "Need help?" He said, not really intending to help as much as testing the waters.

She glanced up. "No, thank you."

"Those look heavy." He stepped closer.

"Sasuke san…" She sighed, her breath white. "I- I can tell, you've been…"

He froze.

"A- Avoiding me, because of my father." Her smile was apologetic. "I understand. You don't really…" Her brows furrowed while she searched for the right words. "I'm sorry it's making your life difficult! Please disregard me and I will not get in your way!" She gave him a hasty bow and rushed away, still struggling with her umbrella until it finally snapped open.

"I thought you had your own chef." He caught up to her under the rain, watching her hair sway left and right in her quick pace home.

"D- Don't follow me, please!"

"I live that way, too."

"Oh…"

"So you _don't_ have a chef?"

"We do." Eventually, she gave up trying to out-walk him and fell into step, she kept her head down to avoid puddles.

"So why isn't he doing the shopping? Why is the Hyuuga princess out in the rain buying tissue boxes and onions?"

"I'm Nineteen." She said matter-of-factly. "I can cook my own food."

And others', apparently, since she was assigned the kitchens. "Why are you?"

"Wh- Why am I what?"

"Even if you _can_ cook, doesn't mean you _should_. So why are you?"

She sighed quietly. "My father doesn't like foreign food and my sister is staying at a friend's house. There's no reason to trouble the chef if I'm the only one eating, she deserves some time off, too." She shifted the bags to her other hand in order to hold the umbrella upright so that it didn't bump into his.

"She?" He snorted. "Your chef's a woman? She's a mistress, isn't she?" He shot her a knowing look; she just kept her head down and said nothing. "So basically you're free all night?"

She stopped suddenly. "W- Why do you ask?"

Sasuke glanced ahead to where he could see the top of his apartment complex above the rooftops. "We're both making pasta, and we're both free. We could use my kitchen."

She blinked repeatedly. "I'm sorry…"

He rolled his eyes. "You bought the last package, genius."

She looked down at her bags, reached inside and extracted the pasta package. She offered it without looking him in the eye. "Y- You can have it."

His nose flared. "Like I said before, I don't need charity."

"Then…" She shivered into a stiff shrug. "Then pay me if you must."

The wheels in his head turned. "You're supposed to say: Alright, I'll cook for you. Or: Here, it's a gift because It was selfish of me to buy the last package even though I knew supplies won't be in till next month." His eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What's the catch?"

Below long, thick bangs, he could see her biting her lower lip. "I- I'm not good at this." She finally looked up, eyes as white as a sheet but still brimming with emotion. "Reading between the lines o- or double meanings, I can't do any of that. Please, if you want it, just take it; it doesn't h- have to mean anything."

The cogs stopped turning. For a long moment there was nothing on his mind but the sound of rushing rain on dirt, the splashing droplets on the translucent pasta package and the slightly visible veins on the inside of her wrist.

He reached out and took the pack; without words she bowed, turned away and ran straight towards the intersection that led to her home. He glared down at the item in his hand and wondered how a person like her, who took everything at face value, didn't try to manipulate others and was unnecessarily nice to everyone, managed to survive the Great Ninja War with their humanity still attached.

Suddenly, he didn't feel like eating anything at all.


	4. Chapter 4

**edit: thank you lightxdark for correcting Kiba's name for me, i fixed it now XD

* * *

**My One in a Million**

Chapter four:

Heat was stirring in his gut; Tsunade was going to be the death of him.

Either that or he would destroy the village and every living thing within a ten miles radius in a rage fit.

Accidentally, of course.

"You're moving me _here_ because someone got a bloody nose?" He tried to keep his arms crossed as tight as possible as to not break the old lady in half. She was Naruto's precious old bag and if he demolished her, he would have a thousand pissed-off Narutos on his case.

"He got a bloody nose because your fist hit him there." She pursed her lips. "Besides, what's better than training your eyes and serving the community at the same time?"

"I couldn't care less about your community."

She sighed. "You say that, but you eat our food, right? You live in our buildings, right? You walk in our streets and talk to our people, right? Guess what, that makes you part of the community." After an awkward pause, she added. "Buck up, it's your punishment for defecting."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I'm being bossed around by an old hag who wouldn't even show her real face to the world."

"It's for your own benefit, believe me." She pushed him down by the shoulder to sit in the chair. "All you have to do is use your sharingan to copy the books we have stacked here. The current technology in printers can't get a clear image because of how old the paper is."

"Years of training and _this_ is what you decide to use the Sharingan for?"

The hand on his shoulder suddenly tightened, almost crushing his bones. "Remember that time you attacked us to assassinate our leader? Yeah? Well your amaterasu ate up the records, one by one, for seven days; this is what's left." She let go of him. "At least _pretend_ to take responsibility. Oh, and don't punch anyone in the nose while you're at it."

He didn't even bother to respond when she stomped away, breaking pieces of floor in her anger; until she shut the door behind her with a loud slam that shook dust off the bookshelves. "Whatever…"

He glared at the large pile of books he was assigned to copy, and on the other side of him was an endless supply of blank paper. He didn't mind books, really; in fact he'd always dreamed of visiting the Hokage's record's library for it's one-of-a-kind books and some top-secret scrolls on missions and techniques.

He just didn't want to read them as a part of homework. Or as she put it: punishment.

Sasuke slumped in the chair, grabbed a random book and sifted through the pages in boredom. Records of missions: who came in, who went out, who died, what rank and how much they were paid.

The records were dated five years ago.

He shut the book and wondered if he could secretly just burn the rest into ashes and pretend none of it ever existed.

He wasn't even here five years ago, why should he care?

He grabbed another, older book, and opened it at the end where a thin amount of paper sat separated from the cover by a considerable gap; it was a record of the clans of Konoha. The Akimichi and Inuzuka occupied the first half and the rest was lost in the fire. The Uchiha clan, if one followed the Japanese alphabet, should have been after the Inuzuka; but now it's gone forever.

It happened again, he thought, their existence is once again demolished by the hands of one of their own.

He shut the book and whispered a quiet prayer of apology to his clan before setting the book aside, feeling even grumpier than before.

The door behind him opened and in came a pair heaving boxes in their arms, the first person smelled like wet dog and chatted loudly like one, the other was hidden behind boxes but Sasuke could recognize those ugly track pants anywhere.

"You've got to be kidding me." He growled and watched the boy transition from comfort to shock to confusion before falling into awkward silence.

"What're you doing here?" The Inuzuka boy said gruffly and dropped the heavy box onto the massive table between them.

"Homework." Sasuke said and directed his attention to the girl, she carefully slipped the box off her hip and onto the tabletop. After a quick bow she turned around and rushed outside. "You smell like an Inozkua."

The boy's nostrils flared, his naturally sharp teeth bared. "And you smell like treachery."

Sasuke turned away from him and grabbed a book and pen. "I'd be careful if I were you."

"You started it." The Inuzuka growled and stiffly unloaded the books out of the box. "There you go, more work."

"Why is that Hyuuga here?" He asked without looking up, pretending that copying a page with his sharingan required undivided attention.

"I'm not interested in talking to you." He sneered. "And if you touch one hair of her head I swear…"

Sasuke looked up, curious. "You'll what?" For added effect, he let the pen down and sat up to be on eye level with him. "Bark at me?"

"You might be Naruto's friend but it wouldn't matter, if you make one mistake." He stepped forward so that the only space left between them was their breath. "Just one, you hear?"

"Naruto's not here right now, is he?" Sasuke smirked. "What's holding you back?"

"Kiba kun?" Hinata said from the door. "Is everything okay?"

The boy, he recalled now as the shaggy kid carrying around a white puppy, didn't break eye contact, but didn't answer her right away. Sasuke smirked. "She's talking to you."

Sasuke watched the boy step away and turn around to face the worried girl. "It's alright, Hinata, I'll go get the last box." He shot a dirty look at the Uchiha and disappeared beyond the open door.

"Alright…" Her eyes met his for just an instant and then she turned away, focusing on the box in her hands and taking her time crossing the room towards the table.

He didn't want to talk to her, actually, so he picked up the pen and got to work. The more he learned about her the more he hated her clan and this village; and the more it made him want to break things. There were too many similarities between the Uchiha and the Hyuuga, this girl in particular was easy to relate to; she was the older offspring of the clan's most prestigious figure, there was inner turmoil between the ranks to keep the secrets of the Byakugan to themselves just as Madara hoped to keep the Sharingan a secret. He wondered if, instead of Itachi, she was old enough to be chosen; and ordered to massacre her whole clan, would she do it for the sake of presumed 'peace'?

Would she be sitting here copying books, and him walking around town like nothing is wrong with the world?

He had to frown at the page and bring the hovering tip of the pen to the paper.

Hinata was still here, he could sense her hovering, arranging books from a box to a shelf behind him; it was distracting, why wasn't she saying anything?

Sasuke hunched over the old book again and let his hand work it's way over the modern, bleached paper. Why did it matter if she was aware of him or not? Why was he curious about her?

Of course, she was somewhat different: gullible and less pushy than the women he'd known throughout his life. However, that didn't explain why he had the urge to push her buttons whenever she was around.

Because the village was small he'd seen her here and there occasionally, sometimes Naruto would walk up to her and strike up conversation; but he never attempted to approach her himself, never saw any reason to do so. When they did converse, however, he ended up trying to figure her out even as she remained mysterious without really trying to.

His hand had paused above the sheet of paper again and he had to glare at the old textbook because it was its fault for being too boring.

"Sasuke san." Hinata approached him uncertainly.

"Don't talk to me." He snapped.

"S- Sorry…" she placed a book atop the tower to his left and went back to silently arranging books on their shelves.

"How many more is there?" Sasuke glared at the pile.

She wondered for a moment if he was waiting for a reply or not. "I'm not sure…"

"This will take days." He rubbed the bridge of his nose where his brows knotted to fight off a growing headache. "Why don't you just wait for a new printer?"

She was slightly stiff when he turned to glare at her back. "The books are too old, the light just goes through…"

He let the pen drop. "So you're saying nobody invented a fitting printer yet?" Chakra surged into his fingertips when the scent of danger wafted into his nose.

Hinata turned to look at him and speak, but the sirens went off outside, indicating an emergency situation in the whole village.

"Fire." They spoke at the same time, the smell of smoke hitting them both at the same instance. In a split second they were standing on the rooftop of the Hokage tower looking out to the horizon where a thick tower of smoke rose to the cloudy sky. Hinata wasted no time in disappearing from his side in a puff of white smoke, his hand made it's way to his hip as he reconsidered; that area was the recently established Academy building… Today is a school day and now it's the middle of the day, children will be trapped inside, did he really want to go there right now?

He'd absently wondered why the Inuzuka never showed up when he said he would, his sensitive nose must have caught the scent ages before theirs did; he's probably already there. The smoke was thick enough to see from anywhere in the village so every responsible adult is probably there already; they didn't need his help.

Help?

Was he planning to help anyone had he been there early?

Sasuke rubbed the bridge of his nose and turned around, intending to climb down and resume the homework Tsunade assigned him; a giant frog was making it's way down the main road with water overflowing from it's massive mouth. Naruto was on top of it's head, a blond dot with a flaring-red jacket flapping in the wind.

"Sasuke! We need your help! There are kids stuck on the top floors, you can fly right? I'll be right there to put out the fire so hurry up!" He shouted as the frog hopped by causing a minor earthquake.

Sasuke sighed and grumbled about how he should have gone inside earlier. With a simple jutsu he had a giant hawk under his sandals headed towards the rising smoke. The whole population of the village was there, kids were crying and mothers were screaming, ninja with water techniques were trying to keep the fire under control and medical nin were giving first aid to whoever made it out. Some houses around had caught fire and were being evacuated, he'd mentioned to Kakashi that the current location of the academy was stupid but the copy nin never took his comment seriously, saying that it's closer to the living districts and so there were less chances of children being kidnapped or setting traps away from crowded streets.

Serves them right.

The wings took him down to a window on the third floor where three kids were trying to jump off, they instantly hopped behind him when he approached but told him to stop when he angled the bird to head down.

"Wait! Ami's still inside!" one of the boys said and shouted her name into the frail window frame.

"I'll come back for her." Sasuke shouted against the loud noise of burning wood and collapsing pillars.

"No! Here she comes!"

"There's no place!" He told the boy but the girl, about seven years old, finally approached the window.

"Ami, jump!"

"I'm scared!" She cried.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and decided his summon could manage all of them for a minute, so he grabbed the girl by the wrists, pulled her under his arm and commanded the bird to take them down fast. She was kicking and screaming when they finally made it down, a middle-aged woman ran towards him heedless of the sprinkles of burning shrapnel and the summon disappearing in a thick puff of white smoke. She extracted the girl out of his arms and pulled the boy close and cried loudly- their mother no doubt. "Thank god! You're safe! Thank god!"

"You're thanking the wrong person." He told her, she just glared up at him as if the fire was his fault. "Is there anybody else left?" not surprised, he turned to the other boys behind him. The one who wasn't having a nervous breakdown shook his head no and ran into the crowd looking for his family.

Hinata appeared out of no where and clung to his sleeve. "My sister!" she breathed hard and looked up to him with wide, frightened eyes. "N- Naruto will flatten it to the ground! P- please!" She sputtered incoherently and pointed upwards when words failed her, the part of the academy still standing was now impenetrable to the hawk but he could Jounin gathered at the base with makeshift safety nets.

Glancing backwards, he found that Naruto was a block away from the fire, and if he ordered the water be released, the weak wood would be one with the ground. He was going to kill whoever was left inside; that idiot.

No, Naruto would never do that, he's probably depending on him to get everyone to safety in time.

That idiot.

Hinata caught his shirt in a death grip when a giant snake appeared under their feet and darted into the third floor window with both of them on top, it slid, lightning fast, into the building through a large hole in the wall and spat poison into the flaming corridors as to not let the tongues of fire touch them. "Where is she?"

Frowning into the smoke and fire, Hinata scanned the building with her Byakugan. "To the left, up the stairs, they're in the teacher's room on the third floor!" Hinata managed a quick seal with her hands wrapped around him, her palms flattened against his chest before cold water splashed against his shirt and face. "This will give you some time!" with that she hopped off in the middle of the burning corridor.

"What are you doing?"

"I'll tell Naruto to wait one minute!" She said and ran in the opposite direction. "Please hurry up!"

"You fool." He grumbled to himself and ducked when a huge chunk of ceiling skimmed his head; the snake's head smashed the thick doors open to the teacher's lounge. A Hyuuga teenager, two jounin and several first-graders were gathered next to a window.

"What are you waiting for?" Sasuke crossed his arms and ignored the fire crawling around him and closer to the children. "I'm here to save you but you already have the window open. You can just jump, you know."

"We're working on it, baka!" The Hyuuga girl snapped at him. "Pitch in or piss off!"

A smirk found it's way to his mouth. "Hop on." The giant snake crossed the window frame towards the ground and created a slide downwards, Sasuke hopped off and waved for the children to slide down to safety. The members of the rescue team stood in line to grab the children one by one. The Hyuuga girl was the last to climb onto the slippery back, but a heavy wave of frog water was already descending quickly from the sky.

Sasuke had an instant to sigh at his friend's bad timing before pressing two fingers to his mouth to dismiss the summon; the girl hovered a few feet in the air when the snake suddenly disappeared but before she could panic, she was expertly caught in Sasuke's arms. Once the dizzying realization that she wasn't dead settled in, he let her feet drop and she shook charcoal out of her hair.

Hinata pushed through the crowd and crashed into the girl, crying and laughing and reprimanding all in the same time, her clothes dark with ash and hair littered with wood shavings.

"Neechan calm down, I'm a chuunin, I had to help with the evacuation." She said and patted the taller one on the head. "I'm alright."

"You were doing a half-assed job if you ask me." Sasuke brushed ash off his clothes and wetness out of his fringe.

"There were guys at the bottom helping us; they can only do so much." She pointed to the makeshift net now crushed under the rubble; some shinobi and civilians were still there surveying the situation.

"How did it start?" Hinata sniffled. "It got so big!"

"Electrical short-circuit, I could smell the wires burning." The Inuzuka stomped closer, hair slightly fizzy at the ends and face smeared with dirt. "Can you see anyone in that house?"

Hinata tightly knotted her fingers in a seal and scanned the burning building. "I don't see anyone, there's nobody in there."

Sharingan still on, Sasuke glared at the fire. "Someone is in there, but it's not really burning."

"Yeah it's just a little scorched. Are you blind as well as stupid? Can't you see the huge-ass fire?" Kiba barked at him and turned to Hinata and her sister. "You're _absolutely_ sure no one is in there? We're bringing it down so it wouldn't make the fire any bigger, it'll be faster but we don't wanna kill anyone by mistake." A giant, white dog squeezed through the crowd, fur soaked to the bone and ready to infiltrate fire.

"How you ever get to wear that Jounin Jacket, I'll never know." Sasuke grabbed Hinata's and her sister's sleeves and pulled them back behind him. "Go ahead, kill yourself, runt. Stop depending on girls."

"What did you…" It was the last straw, Kiba grabbed Sasuke's collar, a few inches taller than him. "I warned you once and I will not do it again you sonofabitch! Who do you think you are?"

Sharingan instantly switched to Mangekyo; he could hear echoing in his ears, the collective moans of those in his past coiling in a downwards spiral, feeding the darkness. "I think you've got it reversed, mutt, and if you had one shred of brain, you'd take it back."

"Guys, people are dying! This isn't the time for a pissing contest!" the girl behind him snapped but was held back by her older sister. Several ninja in Anbu masks circled around them and approached cautiously.

"Well you think you're all high and mighty, but you're just an abandoned dog with its tail between its legs." Kiba shook the boy by the shirtfront. "You're not stronger or smarter than any of us, but you know why the whole village tiptoes around you? Because you're a crazy bastard who might break into a killing frenzy at the drop of a hat, that's why!" The white dog barked twice, as if telling them to cut it out.

"Keep my parent's out of this." Sasuke said calmly, not really looking into the boy's eyes. He reached a hand up and listened to the sounds of the world disappear.

Kiba kept talking, his mouth moving and eyes fierce, but he couldn't hear any of it. Masked nin were sprinting towards him, weapons at the ready, but everything was going in slow motion. The smell of scorched wood and dirt disappeared and the heat of fire turned into a stifling haze of mist. Susanoo reached out eagerly from the pits of the cold void, his hand cold as ice and grip strong like iron; their fingertips met and the beast ruptured what little tolerance he had left; he let the anguish and hate wash over him then the outside world came crashing back into focus.

The smell of burnt flesh and wood and plastic, the sky thundering with a pent-up rain storm and the village square exploding in chaos as the reality of a large-scale fight dawned on them. Screaming and crying and shouts of frightened people running around him, they gazed up at the translucent monster hovering above him with frightened eyes; the boy holding his shirt let go and stepped back, prepared to fight. With a wave of his hand, Susanoo mimicked and reached back, knocking a few stories off their respective buildings, with tremendous speed it sped forward towards the Inuzuka.

Several things happened at once, someone behind him screamed "No!", The boy's fist shot forward as he got a clear shot at his stomach, a giant dog's razor-sharp teeth closed around his arm and Susanoo's hand smashed through the burning building ahead, breaking it apart like a flimsy house of cards. Two Anbu were on either side of him, each with a kunai in hand poised against the pulsating veins on either side of his throat.

Silence occupied the crowded area for just an instant before everyone broke out into a raging fit, demanding that he take his mindless, killing tendencies somewhere else; that he kills himself and rids the world of his menace and cries to clear the square before the fight involved any of the villagers or their children, that the Anbu should take him out right here and now.

Nobody dared do any of it, though, too scared or too curious to see what was going to happen next like some sick movie scene.

Slowly, because a heavy dog was still chewing on his wrist and a pair of kunai was still pressed to his jugular, he brought his arm back and let his fingers uncurl. Susanoo did the same and from his large hand fell the crushed corpse of a missing nin with a crossed forehead protector bearing the symbol of the village of Lightning. Susanoo vanished instantly, obediently, allowing a clear view of the cloudy sky once more, as if on cue, droplets started a soft pitter patter on the metal sheets that once made the roof of Konoha's Ninja Academy.

"Like I said." Sasuke said calmly. "There was someone in there, and it wasn't burning." With eyes like his, trained to make and break Genjutsu, it was easy to see who was really behind the whole thing. The dog slowly let go of him, blood dripping down it's chin, and stepped back to it's trainer with ears flat and tail tucked. The Anbu slowly retreated but kept a poised stance, stealing glances at the dead enemy a few feet away. Kiba just stared back and forth between the body and the Uchiha, mouth open.

Naruto jumped into the clearing. "What was that about? I was back there with—Whoa! Who is this?" He grimaced at the dead ninja. "Hey, I know this guy, he was all over the newspapers when he died a few years ago!"

"The puppet." Sasuke said, not really surprised by any of it. "I guess Kabuto is still manipulating dead guys, shouldn't you stop him or something? Well, that's your problem." He frowned at both the blond and the brunette before shutting his eyes and sighing. "You've wasted enough of my time already, idiots." The crowd parted automatically when he headed towards the older part of town towards his apartment.

"Where are you going?" Naruto shouted.

"To change my wet clothes!" He shouted back, voice angry, so that nobody dared try to change his mind.

Once away from ignorant townspeople and annoying Narutos, he let his eyelids flutter open, blood poured generously down his face and he let it. It was still mid-afternoon and even as the sky was dark with rain and clouds he should have been able to see. The street ahead, however, was still blurry and dark, as if he was peeking through a dirty telescope. His hands shook with the effort to keep Susanoo contained, its struggle clawing at his chest and scratching at the thin veil separating him from insanity.

His parents cried, his brother laughed hysterically and a long line of enemies snickered at him in the darkness, as if a piece of each and every one of them remained embedded in his very soul.

"I'm begging you… Sleep." He whispered and wiped blood and tears off his face.


	5. Chapter 5

**My One in a Million**

Chapter Five:

Sasuke rolled over in bed and brought the pillow over his head. "Go away." He grumbled, his voice muffled and inaudible to the person knocking continuously on the door. The noise continued until eventually he had to stumble out of bed and open the door. "You have a key, don't you?" He rubbed his eyes and glared at the grinning blond on the other side.

"I know, I just didn't want to walk in on you in your underwear or something." Naruto crossed his fingers behind his head.

"You've seen me _naked_ before." They'd gone to countless hot springs in the past. "What do you want?" He glared at the clock on the wall, ten to eight.

"What are you doing going to bed so early, anyway? The night's still young, it's barely eight PM!" Naruto grimaced at the thought of wasting time sleeping. "Team Kurenai just came back from a mission, they're having a gathering at the restaurant, wanna come?"

Sasuke left the door open and crossed the narrow, barren living room to his bed room. "I thought they were old enough to not need a team leader anymore."

"They don't, Kurenai isn't a ninja anymore, either. I just call'em that cause it's easier." Naruto followed uninvited. "Y'know, team Kurenai, team Gai; it's easier than having to remember everyone's names."

"You're just lazy." He grabbed a towel and rested his hands on his hips. "What do you call us, then?"

"Sasuke and Sakura chan. Our team's gone through so much shuffle that 'team kakashi' just doesn't cut it…" Naruto opened the fridge and peeked inside. "Just rice and tomatoes? Really?"

"Why am I even invited?" Sasuke pushed messy hair off his eyes.

"D'oh! Everyone's invited! C'mon, it'll be fun, we haven't had a meal together in a while." Naruto shut the fridge and poked around the gloomy apartment.

"We had lunch yesterday at Ichiraku's…" Sasuke grumbled, remembering the tasteless strings he had to consume.

"Err, uhh, I meant with Sakura chan and the others! Come oooon~ we're still young, let's celebrate the little things while we can!"

"Whatever, are you gonna stand there and watch me shower, too?"

The blonde shivered. "Ugh, no way! I'll just uhhh," He looked around for someplace to sit, but the apartment was bare of anything save a futon, a cupboard and a fridge. "Well, I'll just see you there! Okay? Please show up! There's no other restaurant, you can't miss it!"

"The same place used for the construction worker's dining hall, right?"

Naruto's eyes glittered. "That's the one! See ya!" he turned to leave, swiveled around at the door and smiled. "I'm glad you're coming, Sasuke, it's not been the same without you."

"Stop, you're making me blush." Sasuke chucked a heavy kunai pouch at the door but it slammed into the wood as it shut. A humorous laugh echoed in the hallway and dissolved into silence as the boy descended the stairs.

Once showered and dressed, Sasuke stood in front of the small mirror in the bathroom and wiped the fog with his palm. His eyes were slightly puffy, but no sharingan in sight. He sighed and exited the bathroom, relieved that his eyes had finally recovered from that last time he unleashed Susanuo.

How long has it been? Two weeks?

He'd been unable to deactivate sharingan all that time and it gave him a splitting headache; which he endured by using ice packs and sleep. He'd wished for some peace and quiet but with the construction noises going on, the headache had only gotten worse. Tsunade sent messengers to call him to attend the work she'd assigned him, and even showed up personally when he ignored the summons, but he pretended to be too busy to go, or pretended to be deep asleep that they eventually left him alone.

He knew that he wasn't really affective in the workforce and that they were treating him like any other criminal on parole, but they were obviously cutting him some slack because he didn't crush the whole village when he had the chance to. It irked him that not one of them actually bothered with a single thank you, though, but that displeasure had ebbed away as the ice pack numbed his thoughts.

Lately, he'd felt generally numb to everything; food tasted the same, sunshine on his skin felt just like rain or wind and conversation went through one ear and out the other. He didn't know why he was still alive anymore, with Madara's death the clan dwindled once more to a single number; him, and he didn't know what to do about it anymore. There were no more enemies- there was Kabuto, but he was Konoha's enemy more than his, although the next time he set eyes on the creep he would show him how big a mistake it was to make a puppet out of Uchiha Itachi's dead body. He had no business coming back to Konoha but he'd promised Naruto he would.

His family's property was one with the flat lands, their gravestones and houses turned into a single layer of dust. Even the underground catacombs have been collapsed onto themselves, destroying the one last piece of Uchiha legacy left.

He really was, in fact, the only remaining proof that the Uchiha clan had ever existed and one day, when he died, nobody would believe the tale of the Sharingan.

And it was one of the coldest realizations he'd ever had, because one couldn't change the erasing of their bloodline by working hard or waiting for a miracle.

It was simply over

Sighing, Sasuke grabbed his wallet and umbrella then shut the door behind him. The further he went down the stairs the harder it was to see, the lighting was old and broken and nobody bothered to fix it because it was nobody's property. The lighting remained dim up the street as well, until he reached the new buildings that were, unlike the oil lamps behind him, lit with bright electricity from the spanking new generator at the edge of town. At least now there would be the occasional vending machine hiding under an alleyway umbrella to save him from the long trip down to the only convenient store in the middle of town.

Rain was falling in torrents when he finally made it to the restaurant, the umbrella stand was full and when he pushed the door open he knew why; almost every boy and girl from his generation was here and then some. Half the dining hall was occupied while the other side remained deserted save a single table where sleep-deprived Jounin conversed quietly. There was team Gai, team Kurenai and team Asuma; even some teams he didn't know, sharing bottles and conversing excitedly, those still underage stole sips from their friend's glasses or held pitchers of juice. The noise went down a notch when he pushed through the doors, Sakura and Naruto were having a heated argument about something but they stopped and looked up at the cause of the sudden silence. Naruto waved for him to come over to their booth and then hissed at Sakura when she nudged him in the ribs with her elbow, conversation resumed when he paddled to his friend's table. Naruto and Sakura were occupying one side of the booth while in the other sat a black-haired boy he didn't know, hugging a large sake bottle and snoring softly with his head against the wall.

"Never mind Sai, he's a weak drinker, just sit down!" Naruto said with eyes that were slightly watery and face just a tad red; he had been drinking.

Sasuke eased into the booth and grabbed a pair of chopsticks to inspect the food, not really excited about any of the happenings around him.

"Weak? You've had him drink the whole bottle in ten seconds!" Sakura shrieked. "Even for you, that was low."

"What do you mean 'even for me'?" Naruto grimaced and pierced a wedge of potato from the pot boiling on the table between them and chomped on it. "Ouch! Hot hot hot!"

"Ugh, you never learn!" Sakura shoved the tip of a glass to his mouth. "Drink! It's cold water!"

_So this is what it's like to be the third wheel_.

Sasuke sighed and gathered some items from the pot into a plate for himself. He ate in silence and examined the dining hall with less interest in them than he had in his food, the taste was bland and the air smelled like alcohol, it was too noisy and he started to wonder why he even bothered to show up. Inuzuka and Aburame were sitting with Hyuuga Neji –he remembered him well, a capable fighter- and were picking fights with the tables around them. Ino, his ex-fan, and her team were sitting with people he didn't know, playing a drinking game and occasionally pitching into the other table's arguments or breaking up verbal fights. Some younger kids were pouring over some scrolls, he didn't know if it was ninjutsu or porn, but they were too preoccupied with it to notice their pot bubbling over and snuffing the flame.

If he ignored the fact that it his presence was ignored by almost everybody, it was almost relaxing to see so many people just enjoying themselves when the world was spinning out of control outside, living everyday of their youth to the fullest.

Hinata came around the kitchen counter with two bottles of sake in her arms, she planted one on Ino's table and approached him with the other. "Sasuke san, you made it!" She was obviously surprised that he had decided to show up.

He put the empty plate down. "Naruto begged me." Thankfully the boy was too busy talking to Sakura to argue otherwise. "What are we celebrating?"

She popped the bottle open and poured him a glass. "Life, maybe?" Her smile was unsure. "Kiba kun just suggested it randomly."

Sasuke pushed the sleeping boy with his hip and stretched his arm over the headrest to make room on the bench for her. "Sit down."

Hinata glanced back, her teammates were one minute away from outright brawling drunk, the other tables were either too full or deserted so she eventually sat at the edge of the seat, she'd aimed to sit as far away as possible but still ended up pressed against his side. She filled the glass in front of Naruto and the one in front of Sakura before flipping a clean glass from the tray and filling it up for him.

Sasuke accepted the glass and studied her openly.

Her cheeks pinked slightly but she didn't look up. "I never got the chance to thank you, Sasuke san."

"For what." He took a healthy swig of the drink.

Her eyes were wide. "F- For saving my sister." She whispered as if she didn't want others to hear her bring up the events of that day. "I- I hoped I would see you at the records library, but you never showed up. And then we were assigned the mission…"

For some reason, the knot he hadn't realized was squeezing his chest loosened slightly. He guessed it was the cold drink rolling down his throat. "What kind of mission was it?"

Her hair hid her expression when she leaned forward to refill Naruto's glass. "Just delivering a scroll."

So big a celebration for just a scroll delivery, he thought. The guy next to him shifted and rested his head on his shoulder, mumbling something about private parts and ink brushes. "Just who is this guy?" Sasuke pushed him away and felt no remorse when the boy's head hit the wall hard.

"He's Sai, he's part of our team." Sakura said quietly and took a sip of her drink.

"Since when?"

When she didn't answer, Naruto did. "Since you left to train with Orochimaru." The table went silent for an awkward moment. "What? It happened, you're here now! It's all cool, right?" Sakura's elbow dug into his ribs and her foot landed on his. "Ow!"

"So he's my replacement?" He shot the comatose boy a look through narrowed eyes, not angry. "The hair color is accurate but that's all the resemblance there is."

"Talking about resemblance, Konohamaru made this awesome jutsu with you and him doin-" Sakura's fist filled his mouth before he could speak further.

"Never mind! He's nothing like you!" Sakura sputtered and whispered angrily into Naruto's ears. It was obvious the pink-haired kunoichi was less comfortable around him than she let on. For someone who had proclaimed never ending love to him once upon a time, she pretended to be alright and casual but he could tell, she wanted to be anywhere else but here, in front of him with his sandals accidentally touching her toes. He never tried to talk it out with her, either; it was easier this way, one less person pretending to care about him and just getting in his way.

He didn't hate her, but he didn't love her either. Sakura was now, much like everything else, tasteless, colorless and nameless.

Sasuke tipped his glass to get the last drops before glancing down at the empty bottom, Hinata was deep in though with her fingers knotted tightly in her lap. He looked up at Sakura still grumbling at Naruto and then at the obviously uncomfortable girl next to him.

"Pass the bottle."

That startled her out of whatever trance she was in and she instantly resumed her duty of tipping the bottle to fill his glass. "Sorry."

"Don't apologize, you're not the hostess." He kicked Naruto's shins under the table on the pretence of crossing his legs, the blond thought it was just another affectionate pat from Sakura.

"Ah… Hai…" Hinata nodded and didn't hide the desperate looks she sent her teammates, hoping for them to clear up space for her on their table and save her from the awkward seat she was in.

Without prompt, the Inuzuka stumbled off his chair, paddled towards them and stood there glaring at him with a flushed face and a half-sneer. "Hey, Uchiha."

Hinata stood up to get between them, eyes wide. "Kiba kun…"

"Don't worry, I won't hit him." He said and shook his head like a wet dog. "Ugh, what did I want to say?"

"You're smashed." Sasuke said and put his glass down as not to spill it on his clothes if the boy attempted a fight.

"Ahah, tell me about it." He laughed, rubbed his eyes and then shouted suddenly. "Oh! I remember! Look, man, I'm _sorry_ about before, alright?" He nodded, pleased.

"Tell me you didn't loose sleep over it." Sasuke shook his head and reached down to bring the glass back up to his mouth, the boy was too out of it to even attempt a serious punch.

"What's that mean?" he sniffled.

"Kiba kun, please sit down. He listened to your apology. Why don't you tell Neji-nii the rest of the story?" Hinata expertly convinced the boy to sit down and forget that line of thought, it worked like magic.

She sat back down next to him, pushed her hair back and watched the boiling contents of the pot with a worried expression. The noise in the hall picked up again after a while and Hinata refilled Naruto's glass quietly, her brows still knotted.

"Why'd you tell him that?"

Her lashes fluttered for an instance but she fought the urge to look up at him when they were sitting so close together. "H- He'd keep talking if I didn't."

"No, I mean why didn't you just tell him that I accepted his apology?"

"Did you?"

"That's not the point." He took a sip. "It's just what people normally say, isn't it?"

Her shoulders shrugged gently. "You didn't say that you accepted his apology… But you didn't say otherwise so I guess it's going to be okay…"

The conversation kind of drifted off from there, he watched the crowd grow tired and she sat there, thinking. "You're not drinking." Sasuke said finally, giving in to curiosity.

Her smile was forced. "U- Un… I don't like drinking much…"

"More for me, then." He finished his glass and pinched a clump of mushrooms with his chopsticks at the bottom of the bowl. "You look like you need it, though."

Her shoulders jumped in a stiff shrug.

"You don't like eating, too?"

Her smile was brief. "I- I'm not hungry right now…"

"Then why are you here?" it came out harsher than intended, so he added, "Because you _work_ here?"

"I- I was here temporarily, actually, at least until Ino came back from her mission… My original post was in the Hokage tower because of…" Her hand made a stiff gesture. "Byagukan, it would be helpful if there was an attack…"

"Are they expecting an attack?"

She glanced up, lips pressed together and brows slightly knotted. "I'm not sure… But just in case something happened…" The unreadable color of her eyes held a surprisingly large amount of emotion. "Ne… Kiba kun was honest in his apology… He kept talking about it during the whole mission…" Her hair fanned his face when she looked away towards the boy in question. "He _did_ kind of… Lose sleep over it."

"Why bother, we were never friends." He had to take his arm off the headrest to reach for the bottle. He filled his glass with the remaining amount of sake and shoved the empty bottle into the hands of the mumbling boy on his other side. He stretched his legs over the clear space on the table and sipped his drink comfortably.

Hinata watched him for a moment. "Well… We've been sent to a small village, the war wasn't merciful… We've seen terrible things and… He said he wanted to die peacefully, with no grudges against him."

He just smirked into his glass.

That seemed to confuse her. "Why is it funny?"

"It's not. It's childish." He shifted so that he was leaning forward; she edged back slightly to look him in the eye. "Why does it matter if people love you or hate you when you're dead? It wouldn't bring you back and it wouldn't make them any less miserable."

"W- Well, purposefully making others hate you is selfish, isn't it? If it's a mistake, apologizing is better, I think, then it wouldn't matter if you die later." She peeked up at him through long lashes and thick bangs.

Heat stirred in his stomach. "What if apologizing wasn't enough? What if they never forgive you?"

She blinked. "Maybe they will, later? Ev- Eventually? People can't be angry forever, ne?"

"What if they can?"

Her eyes searched his face. "We're not talking about Kiba kun anymore, are we?"

"Hypothetically." He started. "If there are people, say; everyone in the world, and they hate you, why is it so bad to die if you don't even know them?"

She gave that a moment of thought before answering. "I don't think dying is the problem… I think it's just going to be sad to go through life without having anyone that loves you."

"Love is overrated." He scoffed.

Her mouth twitched up slightly, as if she knew something he didn't, but she didn't voice her thoughts on the matter.

"Get a room, you two." A drunk Naruto giggled, making Hinata turn away to hide a deep blush. "That reminds me! Sakura chan, a hotel opened some blocks away~" That earned him a headlock and his face shifted from pink to sickly blue even as he continued to laugh and recite the hotel's menu. Sakura sputtered profanities that drowned in her glass as she sipped to forget the horrible images the giggling boy was proposing under her elbow.

Sasuke sat up and brushed creases out of his clothes, stating that he had to go home and attend to some important business. Hinata sat up to allow him to exit the booth and thanked him again for saving her sister's life with a quick bow.

"Don't mention it." He said quietly from a foot away, allowing her a moment to squirm and look everywhere but at him; her cheeks and nose a bright shade of pink. "Consider it my payback for the pasta."

Her face was beautiful when she looked up; eyes wide with surprise and glossy with unshed tears of embarrassment.

Notes: It's customary for the woman to pour alcohol for the man in Japan, but lately it's not so important, it seems.


	6. Chapter 6

**My One in a Million**

Chapter six:

His eyes were trained to read people and gauge their intentions in a split second; it was the difference between friend and foe, life and death. He was capable of activating his sharingan to look into their inner flame, true, but their souls were much more complicated than chakra streams, and more often than not he needed more than a split second to pierce their depth and decide if they would attack in the next hearbeat or not.

So he spent his free time roaming the streets and polishing this important but dormant ability when he wasn't allowed to train his muscles.

The woman sweeping snow off the shop front, for example, was young and if he conformed to cultural standards she might even be beautiful; but the look in her eye when she caught sight of him resembled that pointed towards an insect crushed under her sandal. She was obviously a woman with children and a husband, the worry had etched thin lines into her face to prove that, but he knew she would rather drive her shovel into his ribcage than sell him one of her shop's ointments.

His feet took him down the road further.

The girl walking in the opposite direction with a plastic bag in her arms met his eyes for an instant, took a right turn and disappeared. In that single instant he could clearly read what she was thinking about, and it relieved him to know that his abilities hadn't dwindled as the dull life of the civilian dragged on and on. The girl thought he was attractive but her parents have warned her of him so thoroughly, that she is too scared to even cross paths with him. The boy trotting behind her obviously liked her. His eyes were soft and his face was relaxed, but the minute their eyes met he pretended to be brave enough to not follow his girl's escape and instead, decided to take a chance by looking at him pointedly and keeping the pace. He didn't show fear when they finally passed by each other, several feet of road between them, and Sasuke couldn't help but smirk when the boy released a relieved sigh when he thought no one was looking.

Little achievements, some people still had them.

For one who'd already achieved the greatest power possible and had his main ambition fulfilled, he no longer cared for little children's equivalent of successfully finished challenges.

He could, at any moment, pull a string of chakra and make the boy fall face down in the fresh snow. He briefly considered trapping that old man hobbling down the ally in a prank genjutsu where he got pummeled with spoiled fruit all day. He could also spout the smallest ball of flame into the flower shop ahead and watch people scramble in surprise and it wouldn't bother him one bit.

But all of that was boring.

He was bored, and it was making him feel lethargic and detached.

Well, at least more detached than he already is.

Naruto was away training as the boy was insistent on succeeding Tsunade directly despite the old lady's doubts, so Sasuke was left without a training partner. Sakura was in the hospital with Tsunade's assistant, aiding with the increased number of patients because some nearby villages were having internal conflict, he assumed the girl would welcome him with a smile anytime but they both knew she would prefer it if he didn't talk to her unless he was gushing blood from every orifice. Even Kakashi, the least pleasant of his acquaintances, was too busy to spare him a minute; planning dispatches here and there around the country and eventually setting off with a team of Anbu for an S ranked mission that took them miles away from Konoha.

That meant there were fewer eyes on him now, but it also meant all the people who tolerated him in this town, as few as they were, are now null.

It didn't hurt, he didn't feel betrayed or lonely or left out; just bored.

Sasuke made his way towards the small bridge above the frozen stream that crossed downtown and pushed snow off the ledge; he hopped up and made himself comfortable to watch the world pass by. Children made snow nin, girls showed off their jackets and gloves, boys had ninja fight simulations with snow and couples crossed the bridge looking uncomfortable and intimidated with him watching their every move.

It was borderline amusing.

A familiar bundle of chakra exited the flower shop and headed his way, he tipped his head to study the shell it occupied even though he knew exactly what it looked like, the girl climbed the arch of the bridge but was too preoccupied with the arrangement in her arms to notice him sitting a foot away on the stone, so he spoke.

"Hyuuga."

She looked up, a smile dying on her lips. "S- Sasuke san…" She bowed hastily and he came to realize that, day after day, she would increasingly treat him with less regard and more familiarity; as if he was slowly descending off a hypothetical pedestal and joining the ranks of the commoners such as her teammates.

It was both comforting and unnerving. "Buying flowers on the first day of snow, you've got things reversed."

Her eyes smiled but her mouth was still set into a straight line. "Flowers are a must in Hyuuga celebrations."

"What are you celebrating?" a soft gust of wind filtered through his bangs and tugged on the ends of her hair.

She glanced ahead and her smile blossomed. "Her." Following her line of vision, he watched her sister jog up the bridge to them, face flushed. "Hanabi, they didn't have hydrangea so I brought Carnations, I hope you don't mind."

The birthday girl shot Sasuke a dirty look, huffed a 'fine, whatever.' And then turned around to stomp back the road she came from, declaring that she will meet Hinata at home.

"That's my sister, Hanabi chan." Hinata explained in an apologetic manner.

"I remember her." The resemblance was scarce but he recalled catching the smaller one in his arms not too long ago. "I've pissed off a lot of people in different ways, saving their lives wasn't one of them."

Hinata actually held back a giggle. "She doesn't hate you."

"Whatever you say." He hopped down and dug his hands in his pockets. "Enjoy your celebration."

"A- Ano Sasuke san…" She stuttered before he took a step further, albeit unsure if she should be saying it. "I might not have the right to tell you this but…" She was too busy picking at the flowers to notice the knot of his brows. "M- Maybe I shouldn't but if today…"

"Spit it out."

Her brows hid under long bangs when she finally looked up, embarrassed. "Hanabi… Please don't misunderstand her, she just thinks… She admires you."

He rolled his eyes. "How shallow of her." The change on the girl's face was minimal, but he caught it nonetheless. "Oh, I forgot, you have a crush on someone, too."

"P- Please don't say that out loud!" The bouquet in her hands made an annoying stream of scratchy noises when it slipped, she caught it just before it hit the snow. "D- Don't tell anybody, please! Okay? It- it's just, I'm ok with it and…"

His breath was white when he scoffed. "Announcing it is not my business. But I think it's obvious. Anyway…" Deciding to change scenery, he paddled down the slope of the small bridge and pulled his scarf closer to his chin. The hairs on the back of his head stood on end as the girl followed him down the road, he knew her house was in the same direction but couldn't help but look back and frown at her. She wasn't looking up, though, too busy pouting at the flowers in her arms.

Deciding that crossing the road together shouldn't be so depressing, he stopped long enough for her to catch up and then fell into step. "Alright, I'll bite. Did you tell him?"

Her head snapped up in surprise. "Ah uhm… What?"

"It's Naruto, isn't it? Did you confess to him yet?" He didn't care, actually, but watching her struggle was fun.

He'd expected her to flush and stutter and get her bouquet in a twist, but she didn't; she simply smiled wistfully at the flowers in her arms and said yes.

"What was his answer?" He couldn't picture her confessing to Naruto under any circumstances, Naruto calmly giving a reply was even harder to imagine. Her only reply was a shrug, so he pushed another button. "Seeing as he's spending more time with Sakura, I'm guessing he said no."

She finally looked up, not angry. "It was… I chose a bad time, we couldn't talk… He never gave me a clear answer… It's alright, though! I don't- I don't mind, he doesn't need to…"

This situation confused him. "You're saying you confessed to the boy you like, he didn't even acknowledge that, and you're okay with it?" He stopped walking so she did as well. "Unless the building was on fire, why wouldn't he?" It was strange; Naruto was a person who liked things to be clear, so why didn't he just tell her 'No'? He obviously likes, and is probably dating Sakura, so why didn't he just make it simple for both of them?

He never understood love and categorized it as a waste of time because of the stupid things people did in its name, but unrequited love was even sillier, why bother loving someone when they don't even know you exist?

Hinata smiled down at the flowers for a long moment before finally answering. "It was a life or death situation, I thought… I thought it was my last breath so…" Her eyes wandered away from his face and then shifted to look at something behind him. "Please excuse me, I need to pick something up from this shop."

He knew she was trying to end the conversation, and decided to keep out of it after all; why did he care, anyway? Did he want to understand Naruto more? No, he could simply ask the boy, their friendship was strong enough to talk about these situations and then some.

That would only indicate that he wanted to know _her_ more, and that confused him to no end.

He found that glaring at passersby made time go faster and helped diffuse some of the messy thoughts in his head, by the time the girl made it out the door, thanking the shopkeeper and balancing boxes on her hip, his nose had already gone numb. "Need help, princess?"

Her eyes, that were naturally wide and hard to read, studied him in surprise. "Y- You waited?"

He shrugged a shoulder without answering. The bouquet slipped off the top box when she shifted the boxes but he easily caught it with one hand. "Those look heavy."

Hinata's face went through a transition of expressions, first there was confusion, then there was a 'oh we've had this conversation before' smile, and then there was a general air of worry as she bit on her lower lip for a second. She let him carry the heavier boxes and took the flowers in her arms, but only spoke her mind when they were walking again towards the Hyuuga district. "Is it lonely without Naruto kun?"

"Not lonely, just boring." His work in the hokage tower's book chamber was dull, but the days off were even duller.

"It's the weekend."

"To me it is, to others it's a birthday."

Her expression was unreadable. "I- I'd ask you to come to the celebration, but you probably wouldn't like it…"

What little cold he felt on his skin suddenly dimmed, as if his body had been swallowed by a protective shell. "You mean I'm not _welcome_; It's ok, I can drop these off and leave without killing anyone." The stuff inside the lower box rattled when he shifted them to the other hip, as if there were toys inside.

"It's not that…"

"Don't' bother." He hated excuses. "Why are you out shopping alone, anyway? Don't you have a thousand cousins and an army of slaves to carry stuff for you?"

The glass mask she'd been wearing began to crack, her jaw was set but her eyes remained soft. "No, not really."

"Hm?" He couldn't help the curiosity that overtook him at the reply that didn't answer anything. "So you have a chef that doesn't need to cook and a branch family that doesn't have obligations, remind me again, what makes you an important person?"

"I'm not." She shifted the flowers and nodded to the Hyuuga shinobi guarding the entrance to the district. The man eyed the Uchiha but said nothing, so did the other three guards they passed after him. There were several others patrolling and even more guards hidden above rooftops here and there.

"Sasuke san…" She started when they were at the entrance to her house.

"I know." He said and handed the boxes to the scowling guard, "Bye."

"P- Please come in." She told him without looking him in the eye.

For some reason, his temper flared. "I have work to do." He didn't, not really.

Hinata looked up, an unspoken plead in her eyes. "You could spare thirty minutes, right? P- Please, I insist."

He didn't really give an answer as a young, more familiar Hyuuga slid the main door open and crossed the small front lawn towards them. The boy, whose name was Hyuuga Neji, had grown to be a tall, intimidating man. Sasuke recalled a hazy image of him in the group dispatched to bring him and Naruto back after the fight with Madara. Right now he could tell that Hyuuga Neji had grown not just in both body, but also in ego; he literally looked down his nose at him. "Hinata sama, we have been waiting for you. Hanabi sama is preparing for the ceremony and would like you to be there." He nodded to the shorter one to be on her way, but she didn't move.

"Neji nii, Sasuke san will be my guest today." Even as she said it, they could both detect a little bit of worry in her voice, as if she wasn't sure she was allowed to do that.

"I understand." He assured her after a moment, and stood aside to allow them to pass. "Any guest of yours is to be welcomed and honored."

The house was just as he remembered it to be the last time he went in, but this time security was tighter and he wasn't wearing a muddy jacket. They passed by the door to the left, the one he'd been allowed through the first time he visited, but he didn't notify her of this and instead decided to follow her to her destination. Who knew, maybe they had different guest rooms, rich families had the privilege, didn't they? The hallways were dotted with rushing house maids and delivery boys. "Is it always like this on birthdays?"

Hinata spared him a glance, her face tight with worry but forcing a smile on her lips. "A lot of important people are attending, we couldn't possibly be careless. Besides, Hokage Sama will be here, too."

"So stock up on sake." He was nearly pushed into a wall when a lady passed through with a wide tray balanced dangerously on her arms.

"We did." She took him down another mazy of hallways, this time with more women and less maneuver space. She finally stopped at a wide door with a simple design of tree branches and ocean birds. "Hanabi, I'm coming in."

"Finally! The flowers fin-" The door slid open and the girl he'd seen previously dressed in a standard-issue black turtleneck and spandex pants, came out wearing an elaborately threaded kimono with several accessories in her up-turned hair and a matron still tagging along to keep the unfastened Obi from unfurling. The younger one's eyes drifted to the male and a shriek died in her throat. "F- F- F- FORGET IT! Why is he here?" She pulled her sister by the sleeves and shut the door in his face with a loud _slap_!

It was the very first time in his life that he wished he was born with a Byakugan, just for five minutes; if only to see what kind of expressions they were making behind the door. He heard whispers and strangled cries that suspiciously sounded like 'mind bleach' and 'kill me now' but didn't linger long enough to decipher it as a female, middle-aged Hyuuga approached him and informed him that he was lost and that the guest room was in the other direction. He followed the lady back all the way until he found himself being guided to the exit door but before he could feel kicked out, she took a turn and slid a door open, yup definitely the usual study, but this time it was chock-full of Hyuuga elders and the few Konoha VIPs that survived the war.

Everyone shot him death glares and Tsunade actually asked what he was doing here, her assistant placed a hand on her arm before declaring that the ceremony was about to begin.

Sasuke crossed his arms and leaned against a wall in the back, he could see dark-brown and gray hair on the back of every Hyuuga's head, but knew they were watching him closely. It was both interesting and creepy, but he wouldn't let it show on his face and give them the satisfaction of getting under his skin.

Nothing on the outside scared him anymore, come what may, what's in his head was more frightening than any ability or monster.

An old, shaky old man with white eyes sat up- with some help- and encouraged everyone to have a seat. Everyone except for Sasuke were sitting down with their legs respectfully folded beneath them, they remained still even as the old man hobbled to the head of the room and began a boring, monotone speech of how much Konoha meant to the Hyuuga and what an important role the family played in the village's rich history and the army of powerful shinobi it supplied every generation to the village's force.

Sasuke hadn't attended many parties, but he had to admit; Hinata was right, this had to be the most boring birthday party he'd ever attended. If his family hadn't been brutally massacred, he would have been glad they were too dead to pull off something as boring as this for their heirs.

Maybe this was why Itachi killed them all, as heir, maybe he didn't want boring birthday parties…

Just when Sasuke thought he would die of boredom, the old man wheezed and introduced the birthday girl: The Young Heiress.

Surprised, Sasuke turned his head to the sliding doors to look at the approaching heiress, surely Hinata would have mentioned it was _her_ birthday they were attending, didn't she? Why didn't she? Then again, just fifteen minutes ago she was in a jacket and track pants, did she even have enough time to dress during the droning speech? He was even more surprised when Hinata stepped forward into the room, wearing a simple pink kimono embroidered with a soft floral ensemble and her hair straight, free of any glittery objects. It dawned on him then that the actual heiress was the one entering the room after Hinata; dressed in the flowing Kimono with elaborate colors and tightly-wrapped obi of many stitches, and hair heavy with studded, jingling accessories.

Hinata stood besides him as he was right besides the door and introduced her sister, scooting as close to him as possible to allow space for her sister's long sleeves to brush the floor freely as she proceeded to where the Hyuuga elder stood. The crowd was silent and attentive when the elder began reading from an old, torn scroll a declaration of the rights and duties of a Hyuuga Heir or Heiress towards the Hidden Village of the Leaf in his monotone, hypnotic voice.

"I thought it was a birthday party." Sasuke leaned closer to whisper in the ear of the subdued girl next to him.

"In a sense, it could be." Her mouth was smiling but her eyes were sad. "I did mention you weren't going to like it."

That irritated him. "Aren't you the older one? Why aren't you fighting for your rightful place?"

"This is my rightful place." It was said quietly but with finality that indicated her acceptance of the matter, that he shouldn't cause a scene by interrupting the ceremony to express his displeasure when it wasn't his business.

That much was clear even though she said none of it, he knew.

So he left.

He was aware of several pairs of eyes on him when he squeezed through a crowd of teary-eyed maids blocking the open door, but he didn't care. The bitter feeling in the back of his throat hadn't been anger, he knew anger all too well; what he felt right now was misleading.

He felt disappointed, and he didn't know why. He barely knew the girl or her family and it wasn't like he had been to enough parties to feel disappointed by this one, so then why was he?

Was it because he had thought it was a birthday but it turned out to be something different, something more depressing? A person giving away the only position of power they'll ever achieve, and still be there to clap their hands and wish their predecessor luck?

Or maybe because he didn't want to spend the rest of the evening in a room full of hypocrites, celebrating something that didn't make any difference? Their father was still alive, even their elder was still alive and the Hyuuga had their own Council; why bother with celebrating a new Heir when they were obviously nothing but a puppet on strings?

There were many 'why's he would like to have answered, but most of them seemed like a waste of time… It ate at him though, that Hinata insisted on inviting him… Was she alright with not being important anymore? Was she going to quit being a fighter, too? Why did she want him to see it all, to gain his sympathies? For free food? To apologize for something she did wrong that he didn't know about yet?

She didn't make sense, and he knew that every time they talked she would do or say something completely foreign and he would spend the next few hours trying to make sense of it. It would be easier to just avoid talking to her from now on, wouldn't it?

Yeah… That should be easy, she probably hates him now that he dishonored their all-too-important ceremony.

Maybe that's better, maybe now she will find a reason to snap at him and then she will be exposed as being just like everybody else and he will lose interest.

He pulled the flap of his jacket closer around his neck and trudged snow back to his apartment, done thinking.


	7. Chapter 7

**My One in a Million**

Chapter Seven:

Sasuke blinked repeatedly, listening to the monotone beep of the heart monitor and using its annoying rhythm to distract himself from the pulsing pain in his body. His arm was crushed, several ribs were broken, he could feel the stitches on his chest every time he inhaled from where a snake bit it's way through the flesh and bone. His head hurt, either he bumped it or he'd used his eyes for too long, he didn't know; what he knew was that the snake poison that had him reeling wasn't out of his system yet.

He'd gotten used to their poison, but Orochimaru's were always stronger, deadlier, and perfectly in synch because of the many years spent training with him.

Or whatever was left of him, anyway.

Sasuke blinked again, the image of the grinning Orochimaru-Kabuto hybrid still fresh in his mind. They'd attacked the village in broad daylight, suddenly and powerfully, nobody had expected him but Tsunade had planned well and within fifteen minutes, every available shinobi in the village had been on his case.

Apparently, he had been after Madara's body that had been kept safe with the Hokage, not even those close to her knew where she kept it and so she was the first target.

He worked in the tower and naturally was among the first to show up.

Sasuke sighed and shifted slightly to ease the pressure off his lower back where it caused his left leg to go numb.

He didn't even know why he showed up to defend a village he didn't care about or a Hokage he didn't care to follow, it was as if he was programmed to fight an opponent as long as there was one. He wasn't protecting Tsunade, he wasn't protecting the village and he didn't personally care if the creature lived or died.

And now here he was, hooked up to machines and wires and waiting for someone to come in and turn the lights on because he was too tired to get up and turn them on by himself.

Also, his leg was stiff and his toes numb, like blood had been cut off for too long or something…

At least now they have the comatose body of another enemy to add to Tsunade's collection. It took the combined effort of the old bag, her assistant, Sakura, himself and several others he didn't know the names of to take him down, it had generally been a good fight.

In a way, he was kind of proud to have been trained under such a strong sannin and lived to defeat him, but unfortunately, it wasn't all Orochimaru and so had new moves and jutsu unknown to him.

Sasuke sighed and squeezed his eyes shut in the darkness, uncomfortable with the burn of dry corneas and how, whenever he blinked, it felt like there was sand between his eyelids.

He'd probably lost a lot of blood, too. He remembered bleeding through the eyes, nose, mouth and several openings across his torso by the time the snake had it's mouth wide open over his breastbone. It was a little bit surprising to know that the old bag had bothered to heal him after everything was said and done, he always had the impression that she would leave him to die if she ever got the chance. His presence in the village was cause for much controversy and things would be easier if he disappeared, he was well aware of that, but then again he wasn't planning to do anything about it; he wasn't staying there for them, after all.

He was staying for Naruto, and until the boy officially became Hokage, he was going to support him in any way he could.

A door slid open quietly, bringing in the sound of humming electricity and a busy hallway, the sound ebbed away when it slid shut and a female stepped closer to his bed.

"Sakura." He said, knowing her scent. "Turn the lights on."

Her feet stopped by his side and she was quiet for a moment longer. "Would you like some water?"

Almost instantly, his brows creased and the wheels in his head turned. "Turn off that annoying sound." He couldn't think with the heart monitor distracting him.

The sound of her sandals shuffled away for a moment before the sound stopped, and he listened to her push a few more buttons and rummage under his bed. The mattress rose slowly and a cold glass touched his lips. He drank as fast as she would allow him and wondered why his arms failed to rise up and hold the glass like they were supposed to. "When can I get out of here?"

Sakura sighed quietly and put the empty cup away. "Tsunade Sama will be here in a minute, she'll explain everything to you."

That must mean he was in terrible condition. His eyes weren't working, seeing as she could walk around the room just fine while he was still in complete darkness, but that wasn't a new sensation, it'll come back in a few days, maybe.

So then he must have broken his skull, or injured his spine, or perhaps finally snapped and sent Susanoo on a killing spree and now he was going to be punished for it. "I can't see." He told her. He really didn't want to, but one shouldn't keep such vital information from his doctor.

"We figured as much…" she shouldn't be so affected by this, really, her voice shook as if he was dead.

Or dying…

Was he dying?

Strangely, he wasn't scared by the thought, even when he listened to the door slide open and a talkative woman step in, still mid-conversation with her assistant about some patient or another. She didn't even bother with formalities when she announced. "Uchiha, you received a ridiculously large amount of poison in your system, you're going to die in a few days."

The room was quiet, so he asked. "When will Naruto get back?"

That surprised her. "Naruto? I don't know, we can't reach him even if our lives depended on it. It did, actually, and he's still not here."

He fought the urge to nod his understanding. "What will happen to my body?"

If Tsunade had something nice to say, she didn't show it. "We're processing that as we speak, I'll tell you as soon as we come up with something."

He snorted. "You and the council, I assume?" When she didn't answer right away, he continued. "Since we've got witnesses, I'd like to make it clear that I want an immediate cremation. No part of my body is to be removed or altered in any way; I think you and your council can manage that, right?"

She heaved a sigh, "If you're worried about someone taking the sharingan it-"

"You decided my clan's fate when you did, but I was too weak to fight back, then. I won't sit here and let you decide mine now, either." The room's temperature dropped dramatically even when he wasn't doing anything openly hostile. "You will not have me, even when I'm dead."

She could have argued, she could have crushed him and every bone in his body, but she was sane enough to accept his terms. Maybe, he wondered, she wasn't too happy about the council's decision to wipe out a whole clan, either. He knew it was unfair to hold her responsible for something a previous hokage did, but right now he couldn't care less who he blamed as long as it got him what he wanted.

"I understand, we're looking into older books for a cure, but for now…" She let that thought drift into silence before starting again. "We'll contact Naruto as soon as we can. Get some rest; if you need something just ask."

"Turn the lights off on your way out." He told them.

"Alright." Sakura whispered, as if in tears.

They shuffled out, opting to leave out notifying him of how pointless it was to turn them off when he couldn't even see. Whether it was pity or respect he didn't know, and frankly didn't care. The door shut after a soft click of the lights, and he was plunged into complete and utter silence.

He was finally, finally going to die a fighter, like he always dreamed he would; bleeding and with honor.

A happy life with a family in a big house, a dog, and annoying neighbors were never his thing, anyway. People like him had their paths carved out for them, they didn't have time to smell flowers on the side of the road or look at the clear sky above; only the finish line ahead. And now, finally, he was there.

Maybe if the heart monitor was still on, it would give him some insight on what he was feeling right now, because it seems like nothing emotional had occurred inside of him, from the moment Sakura walked in till the moment she shut the door behind her, nothing.

He wasn't scared, he wasn't angry. He didn't regret doing any of things he'd done in order to get here. So when he tried to think of the things he wanted to do on the last few days of his life, he found an empty list, absolutely nothing to look forward to.

Empty.

It was how it had always been; just like that time when his parents stared at him with their half-lidded eyes. When he had his first birthday party with team seven and received things he didn't need. Even when he achieved a life-long dream of finally killing his brother; he didn't have time to revel in success under the crushing weight of all the things he'd learned during the fight and then afterwards from Madara. Even when he had his brother's eyes, even when he became the strongest shinobi in the world, even when he had the power to obtain anything and everything; he was still missing _some_thing.

Eventually, he just learned to live without it, whatever _it_ was.

And he would die without ever knowing. He was going to disappear, and be remembered as that poor child that grew up in difficult times under difficult circumstances and was murdered on the hands of his own master.

It was alright, he never really cared for what people thought of him, anyway.

X x x x x x

Time was limitless in the darkness, he didn't know when he was asleep and when he was awake, what was dream and what was reality. The sounds he listened to, of thunder and conversation and running water, were they in his head or were they real?

No one spoke to him, he hadn't heard his own name in a while, and eventually he decided not to think too much about it.

Until one day the scent of flowers distracted him from a vision of himself standing over a high cliff, the petals drifted through the wind around him, touched his face and drew him away from the beckoning void and into a field of monotone grass and a blurry person standing right there in the centre of a bleak sky.

He had half the mind to fight, but decided to test the waters, first. "Who's there?"

The person turned around, he could see all of her but her face; as if it was too bright to look at directly. "It's me." She said, her voice both familiar and foreign. Her hair, long gray strings dancing in nonexistent wind, framed her face when she reached a hand to touch him. "Are you feeling okay?"

Wary, he stepped back. "Why are you here?" Is she going to collect his soul?

Strangely, it didn't hurt when her hand touched his jaw; it was pleasantly cold. Even when she was close enough to touch, her face remained hard to see. "You're burning up."

"I'm dying." He told her, prepared. "I want to go."

The hand on his face turned and soft, cold knuckles pressed to his neck. "Go where?"

To wherever his parents were, to see Itachi again, to see Madara and talk to him like two human beings without an agenda; she'd asked him "where" but he really didn't know. He wanted to see them again, it was the reason he felt so hollow on the inside, wasn't it? He'd lost so many, it would only make sense to want to be there with them again but…

Where was 'there'?

As if opening that door a tiny slit to peek in had been all that was between him and a raging ocean of images he didn't even remember, they poured over him with crushing weight without dragging him an inch; his mother's back as she made dinner, his father's grumpy face when kids broke the lanterns in front of their house with their ball, his neighbor's dog barking in the middle of the night, Itachi's amused smile when he asked him to attend father's day at the academy…

Madara sliding off his mask, Orochimaru biting into his neck, Kabuto carefully piercing a needle into the veins in his arm, boys with fierce eyes and poised bodies prepared for a death match, unnatural creatures roaming the cellars of the Village of the Sound's laboratories. Nameless people stared at him with mouths wide open and eyes dull with death; it didn't stop, he couldn't fight it or make sense of the order of it.

And then light burned into his pupils and he cried out at the sudden pain, his head pulsated with the headache and his arms shook heavily when he reached up to cover his eyes; someone was there, he could feel their hands on his shoulder and chest, and they had a bone to pick with him.

It seemed like forever that there was nothing but jaw-locking pain surging through every fiber of his being, and then there was darkness.

He must have died.

Yes, he was dead, he was sure of it, because it was… Peaceful.

He felt like he was having a nap with the window open to a summer breeze, and wondered if this was where people went when they pierced the veil.

He should have come here earlier!

The scent of flowers caught his attention, and again he attempted to look around and find the mysterious woman that brought him here. There was nothing but darkness around him, a second later the persistent press of pain and headache set in and with a groan, he realized he was still among the living. "Who is there?" His voice sounded strange even to him, dry and hoarse. Had he been drinking sand?

"It's me, Hinata, how do you feel?"

Confused, he tried to make sense of the situation. "Why are you here?"

There was a strange sound, as if she was holding back a hiccup or giggle. "This conversation sounds familiar."

The stitches on his chest stung when he exhaled a deep breath too quickly. "I'm not dead?"

"No." Her voice went down a notch, he wondered if she was disappointed. "Tsunade sama said you have a few more hours…"

It was after a moment that he realized he had been blinking, still in the darkness. "What are you doing here?" They weren't exactly friends.

She was quiet for a moment, almost compelling him to ask about what she was thinking. "I brought you f- flowers." He didn't even ask but she still stumbled on her own words to explain herself. "Y- You see, Hanabi is h- here too, and I thought m- maybe flowers will make her f-feel better but I bought too much and… I guess I want to thank you, too. But please don't worry too much! I- I just hope things… Hanabi might…"

"You have three seconds to start making sense." In actuality, it was just fun to listen to her be so awkward.

"Eh? Ah, what does it-"

"Three."

"Mean if… You want me to-"

"Two…"

She gasped. "H- Hanabi was injured d- during the attack, s- she is in critical condition so I thought if I brought her flowers she will feel better but Tsunade sama says it's a lost cause so I brought some to you and now…" She stopped suddenly.

He strained his ears to hear the rest, thinking that he might have slipped into another nightmare, but she was still there, trying hard to stay completely silent. "Your sister is dying, too?"

His only answer was a hushed gasp, or sob, or an attempt at forming words that failed.

"What happened to her?" Maybe if he knew, he would meet her on the other side and tell her that he received her flowers instead.

There was definitely a sob. "There were Sound-nin shinobi… K- Kabuto attacked the tower but there were others everywhere… Hanabi and some others were at the academy, they fought and…" She released a shaky breath. "They said she had snake bites. She's… Running a high fever, just like you… Tsunade sama thinks…" She couldn't say anything after that.

So her sister was dying, too. He was alright with moving on, he didn't have much to loose and nobody was going to be sad about it. But he knew Hinata was crushed because he'd watched Itachi overreact when things concerned his younger self, he knew what it was like to loose someone close like that so suddenly, and it wasn't fair that the girl crowned heiress just some weeks ago to die so soon.

It was a mess…

And he didn't know why it concerned him.

"Let me see her." He shifted, attempting to sit up. Deciding not to dwell on 'why' for long, he just wanted the girl to stop crying.

"Y- You shouldn't move." She said in a voice that made her sound like she had a head cold. "Thank you but… Not even Tsunade sama knows what to do…"

He reached a hand out. "I want to walk." It took her just a moment to give up trying to convince him otherwise, and she held his hand.

It was soft and cold.

Even when he couldn't see a thing, he knew he was reeling when his feet touched the floor; thankfully she didn't seem to notice as she was busy detaching some of the wires off of him. She helped him up slowly, allowing him to lean on her when his leg gave in, and slid his bandaged arm into its sling. She didn't say anything when he stopped after two steps to catch his breath, but she told him to be careful of dangerously close objects as they crossed the room. She slid the door open only to find a panting Sakura on the other side.

"The alarm went off when monitors flat lined!" The pink-haired medic shrieked. "Why are you up?"

His legs were sending constant messages of pain, so he snapped. "I'm dying; I'll do whatever the heck I want." He stepped forward and the girl on his arm assisted without words, he could feel the tension in the air but decided he really didn't care about anything anymore.

It felt good.

He'd always told himself he didn't care what others thought of him, but now that he was really going, he realized that he cared, just a little bit.

"We're trying to find a cure! The more you move the faster the poison spreads into your system!" Sakura argued, trailing behind.

He never stopped pacing forward. "You say it like you care."

"I do care!" she argued back.

"Maybe you did in the past." He released a heavy breath, it felt like something was squeezing air out of his lungs the longer he was up. "Since I'm going away for good this time, you might as well be honest."

The girl behind them ran faster and blocked their way. "Sasuke-kun, you're my friend, I don't want to hear you say those things! We'll find a way, I'm sure!"

"What if I don't want you to find a way? What if I'm perfectly happy that it'll all be over?"

"That can't be…" Her voice shook. "Nobody wants to die, Sasuke kun! You're tired and disoriented, you just need to rest! I'll help you!" a hand touched his, and he shoved it away.

"Don't touch me." He snapped. "For the record, I don't consider people that try to kill me as 'friends'." The girl was quiet. "I know you did, and I know you were serious. Of course you were too weak, but you don't have the right to pretend we're friends after something like that."

"You tried to kill me too!"

"You tried first." He sucked in a breath and gave her a second more to respond, when she didn't he smirked. "Exactly my point."

"S- Sasuke kun I just… Look, you don't know what it was like! I'm sorry but it was the right thing to do back then!"

He couldn't see her, but he knew her eyes were definitely glossy with tears. "And people call _me_ a traitor." He stepped forward, pushing her to the side.

"It's not the same! You killed _hundreds_ of people for no reason!" She cried behind him.

"So did you."

"No! During missions, I _had_ to! They were criminals! But the ones you killed were innocent!"

"No, Sakura, the only difference is that you got paid to do it."

Sakura didn't follow them after that, and soon the hallway was quiet with no sounds but his heavy breathing and Hinata's sandals on polished marble.

"We're here." She said quietly to him, as if she wasn't sure she should be speaking in his presence.

He let her slide the door open and guide him inside, the layout of the room seemed exactly like his and he found the edge of the bed easily. His good hand uncurled from around her arm and rested on the small lump under the sheets.

The sick girl breathed quietly, and the slow, monotone beep of the monitor told him she wasn't going to outlive him. His fingertips found her hand, clammy skin hidden behind layers of gauze, so he held it.

An image of the little girl in a colorful kimono flashed before his unseeing eyes, her face vibrant with hope and the shock of seeing him in front of her room unannounced.

His connection with the snakes allowed the images in his mind to show him what happened; a snake wrapped itself around her and bit her in the throat; he watched her chakra streams gradually dim and dry up, the attack was deadly and impossible to evade or cure. Orochimaru had warned him of it for even being the genius that he was, he couldn't come up with a cure, it was just too direct and affected every system that it was a waste of time to bother saving the victim.

The girl that stood behind him cried softly, it was distracting, but he decided it would be for the best that she didn't see.

It was easy to make up his mind, after all, he didn't mean anything to her, or to anybody, and she meant very little to him.

Deciding that he didn't want her to become another Itachi, didn't want there to be another circle of massacres and angry shinobi chasing tales around the earth in the name of revenge. Eternal peace was as much of a reality as a satisfying revenge, but at least the notion of peace was an illusion worth chasing.

He finally lost the battle with himself about it… Itachi had died for peace, Madara had killed for peace; his whole family died in the name of peace. He was the last Uchiha standing, and he was going to honor them and his clan by protecting that one illusion they held on to, to the very last minute of his life.

He squeezed the small hand tightly, pouring his own fading life force into the girl and drawing in the snake's poison out of her petrified chakra vessels in return, soon his body will function on poison alone, and Uchiha Sasuke will be no more. The inky black liquid fought back, refusing to change hosts but he kept his eyes shut and compelled it into submission, using his own contract with the cold-blooded reptiles to absorb it. By the time the very last drop of it left the girl and saturated what little blood he had left, the floor came crashing into his knees and the cold of the marble floor kissed the bare skin of his back.

And then there was the quiet, blissful darkness of nothing else but death.


	8. Chapter 8

**My One in a Million**

Chapter Eight

"Killing me won't bring them back." Madara said, what little of his face he could see through the broken part of the mask was smiling.

That smile didn't last long, as Naruto charged at him with monstrous rage and the silhouette of nine tails trailing behind his every move. Madara just laughed as he easily evaded every attack, like a cat playing with it's food.

Sasuke could do nothing but watch, the cold stone behind his back was the only thing holding him up; Naruto had dragged him there after beating him to near death. The blonde had his share of injuries, but summoning the healing chakra of the nine tails allowed it to both heal and consume him. Now he had enough energy to start an attack on the legendary Uchiha but as usual, he lacked the tactic.

It was ridiculous, really, that the two boys who were best friends were destined to fight in the same battlefield as their great grandfather's, for the same reason and over the same village.

The only difference was that he wasn't his great grandfather.

Even with broken arms, a swollen eye and several broken ribs, he found himself tackling Madara in a moment of madness at the exact same instant that Naruto charged in without really planning it. Madara was surprised that the boy who had been comatose just five minutes ago had suddenly found the will and power to switch sides; he was a few split seconds too slow to dodge the unplanned Double Lariat Sasuke and Naruto had used. Sasuke had copied it off Killer bee but had no idea why Naruto would know of it, it was either a convenient coincidence, or a once-in-a-lifetime miracle. Betrayed, the masked nin managed to jump away from the deadly combo but not before sustaining some damage to his already fragile body.

It didn't take long to finish him off from there.

The opponent's body was still, and instead of sharing a victorious high-five with Naruto, they resumed their fight in an attempt to decide a clear victor.

They were both flat on the ground, staring at the orange sky, by the time the rescue teams found them; there was a great deal of commotion really fast.

The barking of dogs, noise of people shouting and the forest faded away to the soft lull of wind and grass. A single figure stood in the middle of the field, her stringy hair dancing in the breeze and the rim of her white sundress brushed her knees when she turned.

He couldn't see her face, but he knew she was smiling.

The last time he saw her, he was sure someone interrupted them while she tried to guide him to the other side. This time, there will be no interruptions.

Her footsteps in the grass were silent, as if someone had somehow turned the volume down and forgot where they put the remote. "You look better." She'd said; her voice gentle but her face a blur. "You'll be okay."

He wanted to ask where he was, wanted to know if this was a memory, purgatory or hell; there was no sound even when his lips parted and air left his lungs.

"Dying? No, it's not the problem… I just think it's going to be sad to go through life without having anyone that loves you." Without warning, her arms wrapped around him and she let her head rest lightly on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

He didn't know what was wrong with him, her embrace was genuine and affectionate and he wanted nothing else but to hold her to him and hide, hide from everything. In this suspended world, he wasn't allowed to move, either. Being held during his life in this manner was unlikely; more so if he was in hell, so this must be a world where he was tested by never having what he most craved.

Eventually, the moment was over and she pushed away.

"Did you know? Today is a good day. Everyone is doing great, the snow is melting, and she is awake again." Her hand rose up to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear, her head was turned away from him.

Confused and feeling down, he attempted to say nothing. What was the point of trying if it was all a test?

"I'm glad she is, but we still need you to come back." Slowly, she began to become harder to focus on, like a dream coming to an end. "I hope you can hear me… Do you?" She didn't move her legs, but her presence gradually faded into nothingness, leaving behind a soft summer breeze and her scent. "_Please, say something…_"

But there was nothing to be said, he was all alone in absolute darkness; in the end, even her scent disappeared and he was alone again in darkness and silence.

He wasn't scared, he wasn't worried or angry; he didn't feel much of anything, actually.

It felt as if life was over, there was nothing more to be felt or seen.

That was it.

He was dead.

He had been for a while, hasn't he?

All those years eating and drinking and sleeping, making conversation and picking fights, he had been hardwired to do them but did he really feel anything when he did any of them?

Maybe it was about time for his body to finally catch up with the death of his soul.

"I knew it; you've given up, haven't you?" Naruto had said, panting and looking at the cast sky from where they had collapsed on the ground. "You thought giving everything up, including your life, will save somebody. You know what I think? I think you're an idiot."

"You're the idiot." He twisted and spat blood before shooting a glare at the blonde boy, Naruto was smiling even though he sustained more injuries. "What did you expect me to do, sit in a corner and cry?"

The boy with the peaceful eyes just turned his head to meet his friend's gaze, and his smile blossomed to a wide grin. "I spent a long time of my life crying in a corner, I'm here, aren't I?"

Something in his mind clicked, like a piece of a puzzle finally hitting home. He reached over to meet Naruto's fist halfway, their bloody knuckles bonked.

"Maybe now old bag will make me Hokage, eh?" Naruto laughed, winced, and then fall flat on his back to look at the sky some more.

"Maybe."

"And you'll be there to watch me, won't you, Sasuke?"

Sasuke didn't need to look at him to know that he wasn't taking no for an answer. "Only until then."

"You promise?"

He sighed. "I promise."

But he was dead now, wasn't he?

Do memories haunt the dead?

Did the dead have feelings?

Did he have feelings?

Why wasn't he reminiscing about his parents? There were a million things he wanted to say to them, a million things he could have done in life if they haven't been brutally murdered…

Why wasn't he there with them now?

Were they somewhere else?

Was he… Not allowed to see them?

Maybe… Maybe he wasn't good enough? Maybe all his attempts at avenging his family had turned him into something evil, something unchangeable… Something they weren't allowed to call a son.

_Did I make you proud, mother, father? _

_Brother__? _

Of all the things he could have felt in that dark, silent void, he could only feel doubt. He'd been reliving certain moments of his life over and over and trying to pick them apart to figure out where he had gone wrong, until eventually he could no longer remember which were real and which he made up.

And then there were those images he didn't remember acquiring through conventional means; like a déjà that strikes you so vividly that you're bracing yourself for it to happen and then it doesn't, and you spend the rest of the day questioning your mental stability.

The only explanation he could come up with is that he was honestly and irrecoverably dead.

And that people who were no longer among the living had to amuse themselves somehow.

No, this wasn't amusement. This was torture.

All the positive, glowing moments of his life did a quick rewind in his mind's eye over and over; having it rubbed in his face that he only realized the important things in life too late and now he wasn't allowed to go back to chase them.

He decided that the girl must be a figment of his imagination, too, it was the void telling him that he wasn't worthy of someone like her; of feeling loved and significant.

Not worthy of living in peace.

He hated being dead…

Sure, at some point he thought it was going to be better than living in constant war with the world and himself, maybe he had hoped to die quickly and be reborn into something other than Uchiha Sasuke.

But if this was it, if he was going to stay here suspended in a black hole forever, then death wasn't so grand.

It was boring, and if he could, he'd rather go back and finish the things he started. There were still a million things he wanted to see, to do, to say to those he had wronged and to punch those who insulted him and lived to tell the tale.

To tell Naruto that he would keep his promise forever.

Because it would literally take the idiot forever to be crowned Hokage.

The girl with the stringy hair reached for him, asking him to follow her.

Did she finally decide to take him to the other side?

_Mother, Father, Itachi-nii, wait for me__!_

The other side was surprisingly warm, and smelled like sunshine and flowers…


	9. Chapter 9

**My One in a Million**

Chapter Nine:

He was sure that if he was reborn, it would be as a cactus, or a rock.

…Or a tomato.

He deserved it, after all. Uchiha Sasuke wasn't someone that should be reincarnated into something with legs, to spread destruction and desperation everywhere he went.

But if he was dead, why was he hungry?

Slowly, the haze of sleep thinned, like clouds parting away from the sun. His ears picked up soft humming of machines and his fingertips brushed against cloth, his stomach was upset but he only sighed. The beeping monitor quickened slightly, announcing that he had transitioned from the realm of dreams into the real world; the world of the living.

Damn…

He shifted slightly, his head instantly ached and his whole body protested the strain so he let himself drop back into the stiff pillows. He took his time sucking in a slow, deep breath, and then letting it escape through clenched teeth. He still couldn't see, but the dull pulse in his head and limbs told him that he had somehow managed to momentarily fight the deadly poison of two snakes.

How long did he have to live now?

A day? Two?

A couple of hours, by the feel of it…

The monotone beep of the monitor started to irritate him after a few minutes, so he struggled with his weakened body to peel the stickers off his chest to shut it up. The beeping turned into a loud, ear-splitting constant scream when his pulse disappeared, so he finally summoned all his power and leaned on his elbow in order to reach for the annoying device and turn it off, only to realize that his arm was stiff in a bent position by a hard sleeve of some sort.

One minute he was sitting up calmly, covered in thin sheets and wires, the next he was hanging over one side of the bed's metal rail with his leg wedged in the other, the only thing keeping him from slamming face-down to the floor was a shaky hand. The clutter of medical supplies falling might as well have been a tornado, it seems his small adventure had tugged on other wires and sent objects flying off their trays.

Damn…

He should have died sooner, really, this weak body can only fight for so long…

It felt like he was going to be stuck in that position forever, because his leg was in too much pain to bend but all the blood had started to pool in his head that he couldn't think straight. The end must be close, because the scent of the mysterious girl wafted into his nose without prompt; sweet and strange.

He didn't mind her presence; it didn't matter where he went, really, as long as he ended up somewhere specific.

Heaven or Hell or wherever it is people went to while they waited in line to be reborn; anywhere.

Anywhere but _here_.

Inside this blind, weak, dying body that nobody liked.

Through the loud ringing in his ears he heard someone approach, call his name and then the person held his arm to get him back in bed. The sudden bout of nausea distracted him from hearing anything but the sound of his own gagging, his stomach had been absolutely empty even when the rim of some container touched his chin. Once he settled back, spent, the person offered him water which he drank with startling greed. The lukewarm liquid first felt like broken glass going down his throat, then like heavenly rain by the end of the cup.

"You're alright. It will be okay, please take it easy."

"Hinata?" He croaked, voice thick and head swimming too fast.

"Yes, it's me! You… You remember me?" she sounded out of breath, had she been running?

"Yeah…" He'd seen her only a few hours ago, where he was supposed to die at her sister's bed on an overdose of poison. He wanted to ask why he was still alive… _How_ he was still alive, but she was making lots of noise while tidying up the mess he'd caused. Her hands were cold on his forearm when she checked the condition of the intravenous wires pumping fluid into his body. "What happened after…?" He finally asked.

"What do you… Remember?" a shiver ran down his spine when she peeled strands of hair away from his damp forehead.

"I remember your sister in a hospital bed, and then I passed out."

Her touch disappeared. "Oh… W- Well… I- I'm not sure about the details… Um, would you like to eat something, first? Or maybe… Take a shower?"

Confusion. "What? Why are you… What happened to me?" Why is she dodging the question? Did her sister die? Or maybe she was sympathetic over him because he would die soon? "How long do I have left?" Hours? Less? He was alright with it, really, why was she sugarcoating it?

He listened to her draw a deep breath, and then slowly let it go before filling her lungs again to speak. "Ne, Sasuke san, I know this is g- going to startle you but… I'm sure you won't be g- going away soon, I hope."

He blinked, still not able to see the light. "Meaning?"

"Y- You're not going to die."

"I survived the poison?" He reached blindly for her, still not sure that this is reality; her cold hand confirmed that, yes, he was alive and well.

Or at least, mostly well; his eyes weren't working yet, his whole body ached and he was absolutely famished.

Also, his scalp itched.

"Yes." She squeezed his hand lightly and placed her other hand on top of his. "Sasuke san, I'm sorry but… I- I need to tell you this. A- Actually… What you remember, the d- day with Hanabi… It was a while ago."

If she wasn't holding his hand, and if he wasn't so convincingly hungry and in pain, he would have chucked this conversation away as another dream. "How long?"

"A- About four…"

"Four… Days…" No wonder he was so hungry!

"Four… Months." Hinata corrected.

She let his hand slide away from between hers without a word. "This isn't a joke, is it?" she didn't answer, after all, they weren't close enough of friends for her to make lousy jokes like this; he couldn't sense anyone else in the room to assume it was a light-hearted prank, either.

He should be shocked, surprised, overwhelmed, maybe; but he didn't feel any of it.

Sasuke felt as he always did in these situations; unbothered, rational, as if it was someone else's problem and he was just a bystander who could walk away at any moment if he wanted.

"And your sister?" The first thing that he wanted to know was that if he should worry about assassins.

"She's alive…" She didn't elaborate, so he had to ask.

"But?"

Hinata was quiet for a moment before she pulled a chair and sat down. "Ne, you're tired, right? D- Do you want to eat something? O- Or maybe… Rest?"

Rest? But he was doing absolutely nothing, laying flat against too many pillows after a four-months-long sleep. What's there to rest from? "Tell me." He was a little fatigued, but that must be a side effect of having every bone in his body broken and then shoved back in place with vigorous medical techniques.

"Well… If you insist. Hanabi is… Physically okay… But just like you, she isn't waking up… W- We tried everything but she's still…"

How strange, his jutsu should have worked instantly. Did he make a mistake? No, He did not make mistakes, furthermore, Orochimaru wouldn't allow any of his techniques to be unfinished or faulty, he was too much of a perfectionist. So if it wasn't the sannin's fault, and it wasn't his doing, then there must be something wrong with the girl. Maybe she would wake up soon, too? "And why are you here?" Why did she smell like a pastry shop?

"Eh? I… I thought if…" Her voice trailed off into silence for a few seconds and then she jumped. "I should c- call the doctors! They thought y- you would never make it! They would want to take a look at you!"

He listened to her rush out of the room and slide the door shut behind her, unable to get a word in or stop her. The darkness and silence exaggerated the smell of pastry, and he sighed in realization that somewhere in this room was some kind of edible item he couldn't reach but desperately needed to have.

He didn't care if it was hers, he didn't care that it smelled saturated in fats and sugars and sweets made him gag, he was too. Damn. Hungry.

The bag was surprisingly close to where his hand landed not ten minutes ago on the floor, she must have dropped it in her rush to save him from his dilemma. His head swam when he sat up again after grabbing it, and had to wait a moment before reaching into the plastic bag and extracting a fat package. It fit in his palm and was round-shaped and supple, the plastic wrapping was in the way so he ripped it off and took a big bite.

Sugar, cinnamon and even more sugar invaded all his senses, his eyes even watered a little. The painful clench in his jaw eased soon enough and he chewed, the taste intensifying the longer the bite remained in his mouth.

He regretted it the moment he swallowed, his stomach decided it didn't like it much and that it would rather reject the offer in hopes of something better. The container saved the day by being within arm's reach, and soon the bag of pastries resumed it's place on the ground next to the bed.

Another glass of water away, he was still hungry.

He wanted to die.

There was no reason to live anymore, really. He didn't want to go through the trouble of recovering from this state just to go back to a boring, dreary existence. Being a shinobi was his way of life only because he had a goal, an ambition, to avenge his parents and punish those who have been the cause.

That was accomplished the moment Madara died.

He had lived a while after killing the man, thought that things were going to get better because he would finally find peace. But no, he didn't. He still ate tasteless food and had meaningless conversations and fought aimless battles.

There was no peace for people like him.

Even worse, every night he saw nightmares, every pair of eyes he looked into were filled with hate and disgust, people only knew him for the number of people he'd killed and not what he'd accomplished. There was no point in exhausting himself, racing here and there, to convince himself that he was the better man, not when he had already passed the finish line.

He just wanted it to be over. It didn't even matter if he would be reborn again, he just wanted to stop being Uchiha Sasuke.

Another wave of nausea hit but he fought it tooth and nail, more than the painful clench in his stomach, there was a sharp stab of pain in his chest with every contraction, as if something was trying to rip his chest open and escape. His shaking hand rested on the breastbone, too heavy for him to attempt opening the flap of his hospital gown, but he could feel it; an unfamiliar series of bumps -crude stitching only Sakura or Tsunade could screw up- that had long since healed on the outside, but the part that scraped against his insides was still tender and sensitive.

His left arm was in a stiff cast, his lower back ached like he had slipped on ice and fell, and his legs sent him the sensation that an army of ants was passing over. His head pounded at the realization that now that he was awake, they will not let him slip away into unconsciousness again.

He wanted to die.

He wanted it to be over with.

But he wasn't about to seriously consider killing himself.

There was still one person in this life waiting for him, and he would remain a miserable, broken existence for as long as his promise with that person needed.

Naruto was going to pay for all his dinners, from now on and for all eternity.

The door slid open again, and with it came a tidal wave of voices and words and smells and people touching him without asking for permission. This one grabbed his wrist for pulse, another touched his face to look into his eyes, one even took the liberty of undoing the knot on the side of his gown to take a look at his torso. Through the drowning sounds, he could hear one he was familiar with.

"Sakura, make them go away."

"Sasuke kun… Welcome back." The girl's voice became clearer as the voices quieted and she approached. She sounded somewhat robotic, as if she couldn't believe her eyes. "You've been asleep for so long, I'm sure you must be disoriented. We thought you weren't going to make it so excuse us if we're a little overwhelmed."

He pushed the hands away and rested back on the pillows, already out of breath. "What's up your ass?"

The girl instantly switched to fussy doctor mode. "Look, Sasuke kun, you nearly died, okay? I'm happy that you're alright but we need to look at you and make sure nothing wrong is going to happen again!"

"No one touches me." He snapped, having enough of her 'we' tone of speech. "All of you. if anyone as much as look my way, it'll be eternal flames till Monday." At the awkward stretch of silence, he motioned with his chin. "What are you waiting for? Leave."

Through the shuffling of papers and sandals, Sakura stood her ground. "You can't scare away the doctors, Sasuke kun, you need them."

"I don't need anybody. Go away."

Sakura sighed, frustrated. "Is it because we argued?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You know… The last time we spoke… You said…" She leaned in to keep the conversation between them. "You said some hurtful things… I don't blame you, we were both angry…"

He hoped his face didn't pull up a vacant expression to mirror his thoughts. "Oh." Did he even talk with Sakura at all this past year?

"Oh? That's it? I thought… I thought we were friends, Sasuke kun, don't you think I deserve better than an 'oh' after all this time?"

His brows furrowed. "To you it's a long time, to me it's only yesterday that I was bitten by a giant snake, cut me some slack and leave me alone."

"You're right." The girl stepped away, chuckling nervously. "I'm sorry, you must be tired, we'll talk later, okay?"

"No, I don't want to see you again, none of you." Wait… Wait wait wait… He needed an ally in this, someone to tell him about the current situation in the village and run his errands until his vision came back. "All of you except Hinata."

Everyone was in a collective breath-hold until Sakura broke the silence with a bitter, "Of course…"

His mind was racing, there was something strange going on. Sakura had the impression that they had a fight before he went under, and then there were these strange memories he couldn't quite fit into any timeline in his life; like a puzzle that had several gaps, but the pieces in his hands didn't fit in any of them.

The Hyuuga girl was familiar, his body remembered her vividly, her scent and touch and her voice. He didn't remember ever touching her, but he was positive he could recall what it felt like to have her in his arms. Naruto was gone, too, he was sure he heard the boy say his goodbyes before shutting the door to this very room; had he been awake or asleep? Did Naruto really leave or was it all a dream?

The thrum of air conditioning in the allway was silenced when the door finally slid shut, he wasn't aware of it but his tense shoulders relaxed against the pillows. He wasn't hot or cold or angry or relieved…

Was he still asleep? Was this a dream?

A nightmare?

Will he wake up and find himself in perfect condition, drenched in cold sweat no doubt, but healthy and agile?

"S- Sasuke san…"

He sighed, defeated. "You're still here." He wanted her to leave and never come back, her voice was too small to his liking, she was too apologetic and too uncertain that it rubbed against his nerves like a ginger grater. She was the only one who knew when to shut up, though, and in his book it was a plus that the first thing she thought to inform him of was that he was going to be alright.

Someone as naive as that is bound to be useful somehow.

"Y- Yes… D- Do you need anything?"

Oh yeah, lots of things. "First of all, Get me some breakfast." He had prepared a comeback for when she would say 'oh is that so? Well I have news for you, buddy, I'm the Hyuuga princess, I'm not your maid!' but it never came.

"Okay, I'll be right back."

And she was quick about it, too. Turns out it wasn't time for breakfast at all, people had already had lunch, she must have been on good terms with the lunch ladies to get him some of the untouched trays. The rice was a little cold, but he didn't mind -or care. As long as his stomach wasn't throwing a tantrum, he wasn't going to argue. He had to have several drinks of water between one bite and the other to dull the pain, as though every bite that went down insisted on reminding him that he had a chest injury.

The miso soup was lukewarm when he took an experimental sip, so he put it aside with no intention of trying it again. The rest of the meal consisted of a fish, squares of vegetables and a small package of rice pudding.

He only really ate some rice and a piece of pumpkin, having given up on eating halfway because he was so tired and lightheaded.

"What's wrong?" She'd asked when he put down the bowl and spoon with some force, and fell back into the pillows.

"I'm done." He realized that he wasn't really hungry, not with a drip constantly nourishing him through the blood. It was probably the heartburn that woke him up, and that was more than reason enough to hate the world all over again.

"Should I put it away?" She asked but wasn't surprised when he didn't bother answering. "Sasuke san…"

He released a breath, not really in the mood to be told to eat more to heal. "I don't want to hear it."

"Eh? Wh- Why not?"

"You'll lecture me about eating more and getting better and all that junk, I don't want to hear it."

"N- No…"

_Hm?_ "Then what is it?"

It took her a moment to gather her courage again. "I- I'm glad you're back."

He wanted to feel warm inside, to know that someone out there was really glad for his safe return out of the goodness of their hearts. He also thought it was the perfect situation to play on her emotions and convince her that he was touched so that she would go along with his plans to use her. Even with his mind deciding what to do, the only thing his mouth did was question her intentions. "Why should you be?"

That surprised her. "Eh? W- Well… I just… am?"

What was he to her? Nothing. His jumbled memories didn't prove anything, his missing memories were even more important now than ever because what if she was actually his enemy but he couldn't remember? "Because I tried to save your sister, isn't it?"

"Thank you for that."

Where was she hiding the real words? "And you waited for me to wake up to tell me that?"

The scrape of the portable table's legs on the floor was loud against the quiet hum of machines. "A- Are you angry?"

"I'm not angry." He wasn't feeling _any_thing, all his reactions so far felt like he had been on auto pilot. Maybe tomorrow when he slept and ate and rested, he will be human again. Or at least, as human as he had been at one point. "I just don't see how you just happened to be there in someone's room when they spent four months of sleep. You heard Sakura, they thought I was a lost cause. So why did you stick around?" He listened to her quiet breathing to distract himself from the darkness, he almost gave up on receiving an answer when it took too long.

She spoke, quietly and uncertainly. "B- Because… I wanted to know." Her breath was shaky, as if she had been waiting to say this and was overwhelmed by some emotion. "I waited for you to wake up, everyday, because I wanted to know why you gave it to me."

The puzzle teased him, the piece was in his hand, and the gap was right before his eyes, but it just didn't fit. "Elaborate."

Rustling of clothes, she was shifting uncomfortably in her seat, no doubt. "The ring… Th- the engagement ring you gave me that day. I- I wanted to know… Why?"

He tried hard not to show how tough it had been to swallow. Engagement? Ring? Hyuuga Hinata? In his book, she wasn't even a woman; why would he- even by some crazy twist of fate- ask to marry her? She was awkward, lacking confidence and always underdressed. Her family wasn't on his list of tolerable people and her group of close friends consisted of nothing but boys. The Uchiha Sasuke he knew would never ever ask Hyuuga Hinata to marry him, which was the main reason why he refrained from saying anything.

What if he had lost a great portion of memory? What if this woman was telling the truth and his former self had seen something in her worth keeping?

What if she was fooling him for some ulterior motive, and he was walking right into her trap?

He needed her, at least until he could get up and grab a pair of chopsticks without assistance, and until then he wasn't going to let go of a situation so convenient.

"I'm sorry, I'm- I'm asking too much and you're tired…"

If it comes down to it, he could just blame the lost memory, right? "To tell you the truth, I am a little confused." That's it, just use the proper words and it will resolve itself to your liking. "I think my head isn't all up and running right now."

"You did hit it hard…" She sounded like she was smiling, that's a good sign, it meant she believed him.

"I'll answer your question when I remember, alright?"

She sighed and got up to pull the covers over to his chest. "I'm sorry, please don't feel pressured about it."

He nearly smirked at how easy it had been to convince her. His free hand found hers, the pad of his thumb brushed against her knuckles but didn't find any accessory. "You're not wearing it?"

"N- No… I didn't know why you gave it to me so…" She pushed away and her hand disappeared. "Can we talk about it tomorrow? I really h- have to go now."

What's there to talk about? She had more to say? "Go where?"

"Um… Work. I- I'm an instructor in the academy, so…"

"Sure…" He listened to her pick up whatever belongings she had and shuffle to the door. He didn't answer her timid goodbye and pretended to sleep, trying to sort out his thoughts amidst the pain and fatigue.

He accidentally ended up falling asleep right away, never sorting anything out.

For the duration of the day -or days, he wasn't really sure- He just slept, woke up to find food on the portable table to take a few bites, and then fell asleep again. He didn't know how many times he had repeated this cycle until it finally broke when he shot up in bed with a cry dying on his lips, still engulfed in darkness and drenched in sweat. His hand patted randomly against his chest and bed before falling back into the pillows when he was certain that there was nobody else in the room but him.

In the back of his mind, a piece of the puzzle clicked in place; the image of him wearing a snow-dusted scarf, facing a girl with dark hair in a kimono under the orange streetlight. He handed her a ring. The details were crisp and real, he could practically feel the cold band squeezed in his palm before he took it out of his pocket to present to her, her eyes widened and after a few words, tears pooled like crystal between her long lashes and she nodded.

He didn't even know how to label it, a dream? A memory? It still made him gasp, hold his chest and fight the strong craving for that one thing he couldn't identify, but tasted enough of to remember. He didn't know what people called it, or why it would wake him up in the middle of the night; but for that one instant, _it_ fluttered in his palms like a startled firefly. In all his life feeling like a bystander to his own story, this was the only time in which he actually felt _some_thing, and it taunted him…

What was he feeling, exactly?

And exactly how big of a chunk was he missing of his mind, anyway?

Sasuke hung his head and tried to convince himself that the liquid pooling in his palm was perspiration, and that the pain in his chest was only the aftermath of a giant snake taking a bite out of his breastbone.


	10. Chapter 10

**My One in a Million**

Chapter Ten:

"It's white and smooth and creamy." She said, peering down with a slight knot of the brow. "There's really no other way to describe it…"

"Taste it."

She blinked, confused. "B-But it's yours."

"They don't care as long as it disappears."

She glanced down at the object of interest in her palm. "The nutritionist probably put it here on purpose; rice pudding is a good source of energy." Dipping her small finger in the narrow container anyway, she gave her input on the taste. "Hmm… It's not too sweet. It almost tastes like rose water."

He was slightly annoyed. "I don't even know what rose water is." Convinced that it was safe, Sasuke reached over and accepted the small cup, pushed it into the handicapped fingers of his left hand and grabbed a plastic spoon with the other. "If I don't like it, you'll have to eat it all." At her timid consent, he shoveled a spoonful into his mouth and evaluated the taste.

It wasn't good, but it wasn't too bad, either.

She smiled after his third spoonful. "It should help with the nausea, ne?"

Whatever, he wasn't exactly fond of puddings. She convinced him that it would calm the urge to throw up between meals, and that's the _only_ reason he would touch anything with 'fluffy' as the slogan on the label.

He'd been struggling for a few days with the unbearable pain in his stomach and chest, it didn't help that he kept tossing back whatever food he would put in almost right away. The doctors gave him medicine for that but it only made it worse. He had been cringing in pain when the Hyuuga walked in, learned of his situation and instantly proposed he take the small package from the discarded breakfast tray, saying that milk and rice made good stomach padding.

Halfway through the pudding his stomach finally registered the cool, calming contents and he could actually notice the relief. He would never admit it, but the pudding actually started tasting good when the bitterness in the back of his throat thinned out. "Why are you here so early?"

The girl had been busy changing the flowers, the crinkling of plastic would stop every time she spoke as if she couldn't focus on both at the same time. "I'm off for a while. The students finished their exams yesterday so there's not much to do at the academy until they are back."

"Summer vacation?"

"Just a break in the semester, summer vacation isn't until later." She sounded like she was smiling.

"Why aren't you spending your vacation with your family, then?" At her silence, he added. "Hanabi still out of it?"

A quiet sigh. "Yes… I had hoped…"

She had hoped that since he had awakened, her sister would, too. Well, if they both had the same illness, then the only thing the girl needed was to replenish her chakra. He had probably gone under because he had gotten dangerously low, low enough to skim the core, maybe. Hmm… maybe if someone gave her sister a kick-start, she would wake up. "Did you try giving her a chakra boost?"

"What do you mean?"

"Someone could give her some of his own chakra, you know… like a blood transfer."

The crumbling of plastic wrapping stopped momentarily. "Yes, I believe the medic-nin tried to do that but it never worked. They tried Blood transfers, too, and mind reading, spirit summoning and even some forbidden jutsu to exchange bodies, but none of that helped, so…"

All this for a little teenager? Why was, the great Uchiha Sasuke, was left to die in a spare bed in some corner of a hospital, then?

Let Hanabi try this heartburn, she'll wake up for sure.

He finished the pudding with some effort and plopped it onto the portable table. He hadn't moved all day but his back ached, so he fell back into the pillows and let his eyes flutter shut. "You keep saying 'they' like you don't belong with them anymore."

Hinata sat down in her chair once the flowers were in place, and studied her fingernails. "R- Really? I haven't noticed…"

His eyes opened but he could still see nothing but darkness. "Did you get married?"

"Eh? O- of course not! I mean… Not when you… I- I c- can't…"

Ooh? "Not when I'm what?"

"Y- You know… You n- never made it clear so…"

The ring? "Look, my head hurts enough as it is. Are you going to explain or not?" Let her do the talking, maybe he will figure something out…

"I'm sorry! I just… Um… You know when y- you gave me the ring? That night you didn't exactly say why, did you? J- Just some confusing things and I was upset I didn't really g- get it right away… I couldn't see you afterwards… And then the Sound nin attacked and you were injured… I couldn't bring it up when you were so sick…"

And then he fell into a coma. "Did I ever talk to Sakura? She has the impression that we argued…"

"You did… J-Just before you saw Hanabi and passed out, she t- tried to get you to go back to bed…"

"And you know this because…?"

"Your leg was hurt, I w- was helping you walk…"

Oh… It almost felt like it was coming back; the scent of antiseptic invading his nose, Hinata holding him up from one side while Sakura tugged on his other. "What did I say to her?"

She fidgeted, uncomfortable. "W- Well… It was private… I'd rather not…"

"Stop being so polite, it'll give the impression that you care." Suddenly, the hospital room zoomed away and he was in darkness, listening to Sakura's voice argue with him to go back to his bed so the poison wouldn't spread any faster. He'd accused her of pretending to care, she talked back in that annoying strained voice and when he finally snapped and admitted what he thought of her, she ran away crying.

"-come back naturally, okay?"

"What?" It was suddenly hard for him to catch his breath; he didn't really care about Sakura that much, but it was worrying to learn that he had, indeed, lost some important memories… This is bad… What if he had lost more vital pieces of information with no way of realizing it until it was too late?

"Are you o-okay? I- I was saying you should let it come naturally, it's not good to force it."

"Yeah…" He reached over for the bottle of water on the nightstand that always seemed to refill itself, and took a long swig. "It's coming back slowly…"

Hinata watched him for as long as it took for his labored breathing to ease out. "Ne… When you first woke up you said you couldn't remember well… um, maybe it means something?"

Thing is, he didn't remember anything involving a proposal, and every time he tried to recall having a conversation with her he'd end up thinking back on the girl in the field and the conversations he had with _her_, more pleasant, comforting conversations that are impossible to have when awake. Telling her that he wasn't too sure about his memories could give her a chance to fabricate this big lie about how he was in love with her and how she was already having little Uchiha babies and that they should get married before her crazy dad finds out and murders them in their sleep… So he decided to keep it to himself and wait it out. He wasn't a big fan of deceiving others because it involved too much planning with very little profit, but if he tells her 'no' right now and later recalls a worthwhile reason why he wanted to marry her, he would regret making a hasty decision.

And he hated regret more than anything.

"Why else would a man give a woman a ring, hm?" He started, deciding to walk the thin line until a clear answer surfaced. "I may not remember clearly now, but there's really no other meaning, is there?"

"Are you sure? I- I mean… We weren't exactly close…"

Hence the confusion… "It works both ways, you know. Just because I gave you a ring doesn't mean you're automatically married to me."

"A- Actually…"

A strange pressuring sensation closed around his lungs. "Actually? Actually _what_?"

She nibbled on her lower lip, causing him much anxiety because he couldn't see the reason for the delay. "W- Well… While you were asleep, a businessman proposed to me. I- I wasn't in a situation to get married, you know, with the village being rebuilt and the attack of the Sound and Hanabi being sick… I just couldn't. But he wouldn't take no for an answer so… I- I ."

He blinked, blind. "You told him you were already engaged…"

The rustling of clothes and more shifting in the seat. "W- Well, I didn't want to be sent to another village when so much was going on here! I- I thought if I told him, he would s- stop being persistent but before I knew it, the Hyuuga council heard…"

"I'm assuming that means the whole village knows, too?" At her silence, he asked. "You used my name to cheat your way out of it?"

"I- I d- didn't m- m- mean to! I'm so sorry! I keep telling everyone it's not true b- but it doesn't get through to them!" She sounded like she was about to cry. "Eventually my father let me take some time away from home… I live alone for now so it's a relief from all the talking but… What if they talk behind my back anyway?"

"They do." His voice was guarded, not giving any of his real thoughts a chance to show. "They're probably talking about us right now, wondering what we've been doing in a closed room for two hours."

"Eh?" Her voice shrank. "N- No! It's not true! Sasuke san we need to tell everyone it's a mistake!"

"Is it?"

Hinata froze, eyes wide.

Did the answer he desperately sought begin to show itself already? "You need to keep off annoying suitors, don't you? I happen to be the perfect candidate for that; people will think twice before making a move on Uchiha Sasuke's girl, don't you think? As for me, I've already proposed to you, so I must have been serious even if I don't remember it, consider this an engagement period that's long due, if you want." For some reason, the tension in his shoulders eased after he said that. "It's convenient; we don't have to go through with it all the way if you decide to change your mind." And with a lowered voice finished, "I know you're already in love with someone else."

Perfect.

All the chips were falling into place smoothly; he was engaged to her but not really, she would benefit from it because she needed an excuse to tell her family, and he was giving her the illusion that he cared about her enough to indulge her while in actuality he was just using her affection to help him recover.

He almost gave away how proud he was of himself at how calmly he handled it.

"I'm sorry." She said, startling him out of his inner celebrations. "I- I don't like deceiving others, especially my father he- he can see right through me."

Was she telling him _no_? "Who cares what he thinks? You're an adult, you can make your own decisions." Of course, he made his own decisions, too, and if he decided that she was a burden he would break the engagement without batting an eyelash.

"They- they are my family! I can't lie to them!"

_Don't break the perfect plan, woman_! Ugh, that's why he avoided girls so much… "Who said anything about lying? I'm serious about my end of the deal, it's up to you." She will think about it, and consider herself lucky to even stand in his shadow, and then agree to it in the end. She has to.

The buzz of the lights overhead and the quiet hum of medical machines was the only sound in the room for a long stretch of time. He had nearly slipped into a nap when she finally sat up and proceeded to gather her things.

"Where are you going?" He mumbled, not worried as much as checking if this was a dream or reality.

"I- I need to think… Is it okay if I a-answer you later?"

_Hn, girls_… "Sure." It didn't matter, he already knew the answer. He was too good of a deal to let slip away, any sane person would take the chance.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Sasuke san."

He didn't answer, waiting for the sound of the sliding door. When he was finally alone in his room, he sucked in a deep breath and let it go slowly as a ways to distract himself from the pulsing pain in his head and the ache in his back. He needed to get up and walk, but was too fatigued to even seriously consider it, which increased the pain of his back and alarmed him to the necessity of a stroll.

The door to his room slid open not five minutes later, breaking his concentration on the endless loop of pain VS lethargy; a pair of heels click-clacked into the room and towards his bed. The scent of hospital and generic shampoo wafted into his nose. "Good morning Sasuke kun! You've been up for a few days now, would you like to take a walk with me?"

He bit back a groan. "No, Sakura, I don't want to take a walk with you."

She hesitated, "Come on, you must be sore from sleeping on your back for so long." As if he hadn't said anything at all, she rolled the covers away and pushed the table to the side. She took a moment to examine his injuries before folding her arm around his, trying to find a safe area to hold while she helped him out of bed. "Sasuke kun, I know you don't feel like it, but you have to work hard to get your strength back."

He grudgingly let her pull him up to a sitting position, thinking that his uncooperative weight would stop her; she did it with startling ease. "Whatever you say." He was already wishing the quiet, timid one that spoke from a distance was here instead of this girl that spoke at full-volume into his sensitive ears.

Sakura led him out of the room to the quiet hallway and paused when he nearly tripped on the door frame, he had been obviously exhausted by then, but she managed to convince him to take five more steps than he'd liked. "We didn't even reach the door to the next room!" She watched him collapse on the stiff bench just two feet away from his room's nameplate and tried to steel her resolve against his labored breathing. Sakura shifted her weight, restlessness and brimming with energy. "What, you're not talking to me now?"

He seriously wanted to hit someone. "Why would you say that?"

Sakura pursed her lips. "I don't know… In the last few days you talked to everyone else more than I. It's alright if you just don't want to but… I mean, you're not still upset, are you?"

He tried to use his heavy breaths as an excuse to not answer. She waited, though, and eventually he had to give her something to chew on. "From what I heard, I hit my head hard. So I'm sure you'd understand if I said I'd forgotten all about it." He barely liked her nowadays, but she was Naruto's friend, and hanging around the boy meant having to tolerate her presence. It would be uncomfortable if he admitted that he didn't like her and then had to see her every day. Plus, he didn't want to go through all the shenanigans Naruto would undoubtedly try to pull to get him on good terms with her again, so life would be much, _much_ easier if he appeared to have forgiven her.

"Really? You're not just saying it to dodge talking about it?"

He wanted to dodge talking about _anything _with this girl. "You're the doctor; find a way to fix it."

She pulled him up to walk again, to his great displeasure and pain. "Yes, yes, of course. You still can't see well, I guess?"

"Don't worry about it, it happens all the time when using the Mangekyou Sharingan." The last thing he wanted was Sakura or Tsunade messing around with his sensitive eyes when all he needed was rest.

"Oh, I see. I hope it gets better soon, I mean, you wouldn't be Sasuke kun if you didn't glare at me with the Sharingan, right?" She laughed at her own joke but her words were laced with dread. "By the way, where is Hinata chan? I didn't see her today."

He was sure there couldn't have been any more than a few minutes between Hinata leaving and Sakura barging into his room, but he played along. "You just missed her."

"Oh? Too bad, I wanted to have a chat with her…"

She didn't elaborate, but the nervous chakra emitting from her at such a close proximity was urging him to continue the conversation. Chatting with Sakura was the last thing he wanted to do, but if she was going to pester him about Hinata he might as well make things clear. "She said she needed to think about some things, so she left early. I'm sure a bride-to-be has important things to take care of."

Sakura stopped walking, making him stop as well because she was the only thing standing between him and the floor under the current amount of ankle pain. "So it's true? You and Hinata chan are really…?"

"Yes."

Sakura's voice was carefully controlled when she spoke her blessings. "Congratulations, I'm sure she's a nice girl."

"She is." Hinata had her good points, he was sure, but pointing them out now wasn't necessary because his main goal was to get rid of Sakura and if he got rid of Sakura, her annoying mob of tactless doctors wouldn't find anyone to back them up on their visits, the prodding and pulling and asking would stop and he would be able to catch some actual sleep. "Just don't tell anyone, she hadn't decided yet." Which was code name for: spread the news, girl, spread it like there's no tomorrow.

"Of course…"

His plan worked marvelously, the walk to the end of the hall and back to his room had been eerily quiet. The silence of the hallway was heavy and stifling, but he refused to yield under it. Hurting Sakura's feelings before he went into the coma must have been a good decision, because he could tell she was treading softly and not allowing her curiosity to get the best of her. He had this inkling that, more than being worried over him during his long sleep, everyone must have been relieved that he was out cold and unavailable. That way they didn't have to worry about him showing up to their gatherings or snatching Naruto from them on a daily basis. He'd been awake for days now, surely the news spread like wildfire, yet nobody even bothered to visit him for five minutes but the one girl who thought he wanted to marry her…

Life was a little lonely without Naruto…

"Sasuke kun, you didn't even touch your breakfast, did you?" Oh great, now that they were in his room she could clearly see his untouched food.

"I wasn't hungry."

"That's not good!" Her voice rose up a notch. "You have to eat and get better even if you don't feel hungry!" He rolled his eyes at the sound of the portable table being drawn to his bed. "The rice got a little cold, but the miso is still drinkable. Here." The rustle of plastic wrapping.

She's not… Is she?

"Sasuke kun, open wide!"

He let the frown take over. "I can feed myself."

"Okay… Can you use chopsticks?"

His hand was still weak and unstable, so he always reached for the spoon. "Of course I can use chopsticks, who do you think I am? I'm just not hungry."

"That walk should have helped your appetite, are you sure you don't feel like eating anything at all? All the time?" Without warning, her fingertips pressed lightly against the bottom of his breastbone where his sensitive stomach resided. "Do you feel any pain? Does your chest hurt?"

Her touch triggered a lurch of disgust and lightheadedness, he hid it well. "I'll eat when I feel like it. Now go away." He swatted her hand off and tugged on the sheets.

The girl huffed and put the utensils down to free her hands for the chore of checking the machines and the amount of fluid in the drip bag. "Alright, I'll be on call all day, so just push the button if you need anything."

He pretended to sleep but his stomach was too upset and his back still in too much pain to actually calm down enough to slip into a nap; to make it worse, his feet felt like someone was rolling a spiked pinwheel over them because of that unnecessarily long walk.

Her heels clicked away towards the door and slid it shut just as loudly as she had slid it open, in the aftermath of the resonating slam, there was no doubt about the lingering feelings he had for her.

Annoyance.

Simple and clear annoyance.

She was not a person he wanted to have around every day. When she was younger she had some good things about her, true, and for a while she was something close to a good friend. This Sakura, though, was an over-analyzing doctor with an obsessive compulsion to fix everything with her own hands. It annoyed him to no end that she had no faith in him, just like her tutor who had undoubtedly threw him in the far corner of the hospital so she wouldn't have to be reminded of his unchanging, depressing comatose state every day.

At least the Hokage had bigger breasts to compensate…

It had only been a few days, but he already missed having Naruto around, the boy was nice padding between him and the unreliable individuals who chose to flock around them for whatever reason.

Unfortunately, when he asked, he was told that the boy hadn't returned from his training at all, and that a message was sent for him to head to the village of the Rain the minute he returns from the secluded island in which he trained because it seemed like that village was on the verge of triggering another war.

So if Naruto hadn't been in the room, hadn't been in the village at all, what was it exactly that he remembered?

Why did he remember things he shouldn't have possibly witnessed, but forgot the things he had gone through well-awake?

Giving Hinata a ring, maybe he meant it, maybe he didn't… What else would it mean? The more he thought about it, the clearer it was that there couldn't be two answers.

There was something in her he thought was worth keeping, so he chose to keep her.

Right?

He was too proud to admit it, but there was a mysterious gravity about her that made him want to push her buttons and test her patience. She was convenient, yes, an easy target, definitely; but she was better than the other, fewer, options he had right now.

Even if he doubted his sanity, or if Hinata was using a mind-control genjutsu to plant fabricated memories in his head, Sakura wouldn't make a fuss over it if it wasn't true. It also felt too real to be just a memory, the freedom he felt when he dealt that last verbal blow to the pink haired medic, and the sharp cold of the ring in his palm as he waited in the snow…

But what about the reason for all of this; Hanabi?

No matter how many times he replayed it in his mind, he could only remember the series of events in an exact order of: Snake, pain, hallway, Hanabi, floor, dreamland.

Why did he save the girl? What could have possibly gone through his head for him to sacrifice his life to a Hyuuga girl he didn't even tolerate?

The answer was in his hand, but the puzzle in front of him refused to fit it into any of the gaps…

Sasuke was sure he did it because Hinata was crying and it annoyed him, he wasn't normally a sympathetic person and a crying girl didn't really trigger feelings of chivalry or affection; only discomfort.

But to knowingly throw away his life for her?

Unlikely so…

Did he perhaps talk to the little girl before it all went down?

Did the technique allowed him to communicate with her on some spiritual level?

Did she convince him to save her so her sister would stop crying?

Maybe if he met the girl he would remember…

Yeah… He should just try talking to the girl, even if she didn't hear him, maybe his memory will kick back into motion like it did when he tried to remember his argument with Sakura.

So now it was only a matter of getting his strength back.

And his eyes.

If would be meaningless if he survived such a fatal blow only to discover that his eyes have already passed their expiration date…


	11. Chapter 11

**My One In A Million**

Chapter Eleven:

He stirred awake to the sound of a page being flipped oh-so quietly. "Hinata?" His mind had been too muddled to realize it, but he'd been waiting for her.

"Yes." She whispered from a few feet away.

His chest slowly expanded in a quiet, careful intake of air. "Mmh… What time is it?"

"Afternoon." Yet she spoke like it was the middle of the night and she was afraid she would wake someone. "Are you feeling okay? Do you need anything?"

No, not really. He was just waiting to hear her answer about what they talked about yesterday.

His proposal…

When she didn't show up this morning, he began to rethink his approach to the subject, maybe he should have tried to slip in a nice word or two to seal the deal. "What's for lunch?" His stomach was beginning to riot as it always did when it was empty, reminding him that if he didn't man up and start training, he would regret the gained weight later.

"Rice, lentil soup and um… looks like boiled pumpkin." The book was shut and put away to free her hands for the task of exploring the insides of a plastic bag. "Ne, I brought you a pack of pudding, s- so you don't have to wait for meal times to eat it. W- Would you like to have some now before I put it in the fridge?" he stretched his hand towards her with silent expectation, she just smiled and complied. "I'll put the rest in the first row, alright?"

"Where is the fridge anyway?"

She paced to the other side of the room and announced, "Five steps away, um… Straight ahead from the right side of the bed."

That was too far away on his body in his current condition, but he respected her a little bit more for not saying 'over here you blind bat'… "Alright." Still drowsy but undeniably hungry, he popped open the package of rice pudding and shoveled a spoonful into his mouth. "So…"

"Hm?"

He didn't want it to sound like he was worried about what she decided, or show that he was uncomfortable with not knowing, so he asked about something completely irrelevant. "What were you reading?"

At that, she blushed and struggled to find her seat again, glad that he couldn't see how flustered she was about having to answer. "Uh- um well… it's no- nothing… j- just a novel…"

He smirked. "A perverted novel?" He'd read some of those when he was younger.

"No! O-o-o-of course not! J- Just normal r- romance! A normal romance novel!"

A normal romance novel… So this is what normal nineteen year olds read when they didn't have to fight a war or travel around the world to avenge the massacre of their families…

He swallowed a big mouthful of pudding and grimaced, he hated thinking about what it might have been like if his life had been any different…

"What's the story about?" he was halfway through the container, glad for the instant relief.

"Uhm… th- the usual…" She fidgeted uncomfortably. "The rich boy who falls in love with the p- poor girl…"

It was a strange hobby to have; she belonged to a rich and prestigious clan, at one point she was the next one in line to lead it. She would definitely have whatever it is she wanted if she just asked even now, he was sure there were many, many men who dreamed of having her on their arm as a wife and baby machine. And here she was, finding pleasure in reading about the struggles of the less fortunate and their life-changing battles to have that one impossible love. Why would she enjoy the emotional trauma the characters have to go through when she has the privilege of not having to know any of it?

"What's keeping them apart?" He found it amusing to dig for the reason behind her actions, partly because he wanted to know what her take on the story was, and because bullying her was good entertainment. He was eating soothing, cool cream in slow mouthfuls, so why was his stomach still struggling to settle down?

"W- well… The rich boy was introduced to many girls, they're all nice and beautiful but he doesn't get along with any of them… He only likes the girl he met on the street who shared his love for graffiti. His parents are against them being together…" She paused for a moment. "It d- doesn't really matter, right? It- it's just a fictional story…"

Sasuke plopped the spoon into the empty container and dropped them onto the nightstand. "Does he marry her in the end?"

"I haven't finished it yet but… I hope so…" at his snort she tried to defend the fictional characters. "I know it's j- just imaginary, b- but don't you think it could happen in real life? I- I mean… It's possible…"

"Love is overrated." He dropped back into the pillows, inwardly cringing at what he just said. "I mean, forbidden love and all that." It would be bad if he showed her what he truly was -unfeeling and indifferent- when he was supposed to be working hard to convince her that he proposed to her out of affection. "What's the point of loving someone who doesn't love you back?"

Familiar with unrequited love, she felt it necessary to explain. "It d- doesn't have to have a point… s- sometimes we do things to make others happy b- because seeing them happy is all that matters." As if catching herself in a mistake, she started again. "I mean- It d- doesn't always have to have a payment! Or treat it like… debts? It's okay to do nice things to others if you love them even if you don't expect anything from them in return, f- for example I would give Hanabi my favorite umbrella when it's raining even if I know she's not going to give me hers if the roles were reversed. I would do it without asking for anything in return because she's my sister and I wouldn't want her to get sick, because I love her enough to not care if I'm…" Her voice trailed off to silence at the realization that she was dragging it for too long and his eyes were starting to glaze over. "I'm sorry… You're free to think what you want…"

His brows were slightly pulled down. "If my efforts are going to be shrugged off then I might as well move on to somebody who would appreciate them. There are a million people in the world, Hinata, surely someone out there would appreciate you more than the one you have right now."

The quiet hum of machines made them aware that the heated discussion wasn't about the poor girl and the rich boy anymore.

"He didn't even answer your confession, did he?" He said simply, charging headfirst into the elephant between them. "How long has it been? Six months? More? He isn't planning to give you a clear answer."

"I know…" Was her calm response. "I- I don't mind…"

"You should."

She glanced up, curious. "Why?"

_What do you mean why? Why did we have this long conversation if you're going to ask for blunt answers anyway?_ "Because believe it or not, you're a Hyuuga and he's just Uzumaki. You're the rich boy and he's the poor girl; if you weren't interested in him, the story wouldn't even start." He reached over for the bottle of water and took a long swig. "Besides, it's obvious that he likes someone else."

"Sakura san… Right?" At his nod, she explained with a small smile. "It's okay, I- I guess he doesn't know what to say or when… I don't mind. A- As long as we can still be friends…"

"It's annoying that you're not asking for anything in return, not even recognition." The bottom of the bottle hit the nightstand harder than intended. "What kind of love is that? It's useless and a waste of time. You can't even call it love."

Her voice was so quiet that he almost didn't hear it. "You've never been in love?"

Now she was asking for it… If he answered this one incorrectly, all his planning would be for naught and she would walk away without hesitation.

Of course he could always get better on his own, it wasn't his first time having to live through recovery periods depending on nobody else but himself; but she was doing such a good job of guessing his needs correctly that he didn't want to lose such a thoughtful servant. Talking to her helped shake a few memories loose, it made it easier to find the right place to fit the pieces in the puzzle, too. He was basically torn between saying what she wanted to hear and what he really wanted to say. "I don't read novels." Not _normal_ ones, anyway. "I wouldn't know what it's like even if…" Was he seriously talking about love and romance with a girl? Pff… Naruto would have a field day with this one…

"You're… Not sure?"

He released a slow sigh, fighting the dull ache in his chest. "I've never had the time to waste on in things like that…" Why was this so awkward to him but completely natural to her? She even stopped stuttering…

"Haven't you ever thought of someone for long? Or… maybe, did something to help them even when they couldn't know it was you?" At his silence, she tried to narrow it down a little. "Um… For example: Is there someone you would rather be with when you're sitting all alone at home? Or maybe you will decide to take a walk hoping that you will see them by chance?"

If that was love then he had been head over heels for Naruto for a long time now. "Keep talking."

She sounded like she was enjoying it, maybe she finally found someone to philosophize instead of her fictional characters. "Okay, umm… I will give you a situation and you can think about it. You don't have to answer me out loud if you don't want to. Um, here goes: When someone talks about romance novels or valentines day, do you feel curious or disgusted?"

He pursed his lips.

"O- Okay… When you're sitting with a group, do you sometimes wish it was only one person you had to talk to instead of all of them? That person has to always be the same one, not a different member of the group every time."

Along with pursed lips, his eyelids drooped.

"L- Last question…" The strong feeling of dread and disappointment washed over her but she marched on. "While I was asking those questions, did someone specific come to mind?"

His brows crashed down.

"I- I'm sorry! Y- You don't have to tell me the answers b- but you're making a really scary face!"

The displeased frown was schooled into a neutral line before he said. "Wouldn't that just prove I have a one-sided crush on someone? In what book is it defined as more than that? Your test is flawed."

It was quiet and slightly warm; Hinata didn't seem too bothered about what he deduced from the test, but perhaps she noticed how he was adamant on not giving a clear answer and decided it was too impolite to prod him about it.

Was the test really accurate? It seemed half-assed but thanks to it, shed some light had been shed on a few points that he wasn't aware of…

When he was on a mission with Naruto that first time he was allowed out of the village, it was after he met her for the first time; he found it easier to spend his time trying to remember what life was like as schoolchildren rather than worry about his own depressing situation. He'd been aware of how much he thought of her at the time, and labeled it as nothing more than an innocent distraction…

It was just that, but…

When she mentioned romance novels he had been simply curious, about the effects of the war on their generation and about the future… But now that she asked him about it; whenever he heard Sakura's voice in those short check ups, he would wish she magically disappeared and in her place would be a quiet, whispering Hyuuga. When Sakura told him to eat his food, he would keep from snapping at her to be more like the Hyuuga and ask nicely.

What bothered him, though, was that during her questions he had been picturing her; her voice, her hair, he imagined her lips forming the words and the hint of embarrassment that undoubtedly left a blush on her cheeks.

He tried to convince himself that it was because he couldn't see, because he had just woken up from a near-death experience and she just happened to be the first person to be there…

But the more he thought about it the harder it was to deny that his unexpected interest in her had started long before the coma… He didn't remember when, exactly, but whenever he craved good food, he would hope to see her and nobody could blame _that_ on the lost memories…

If anything, he should associate her with pain in his abdomen and tasteless hospital food, he should associate her with his miserable life right here and now, and the unavoidable task of consuming food he didn't like…

It's not that he was picky about food, but a terrible meal was a terrible meal.

Maybe that's why he wanted to marry her?

His mind vividly recalled the look and taste of that heavenly soup… His mouth watered just thinking about it.

It was a long shot, but to have that kind of food every day, for every meal… He might have seriously considered it.

His stomach rumbled in the deafening silence, unexpectedly giving them an excuse to drop the hanging conversation and think about other things. Hinata didn't say anything but he could tell from the sounds of plastic being peeled off plates and utensils being unwrapped, that she wasn't going to start any conversations.

"So did you make up your mind?" he finally asked.

After a moment's consideration, she whispered as if out of breath. "I did." It took her a moment to find the courage to tell him of her decision, but when she did, she said it gently. "I woke up this morning undecided, and- and thought I'd put the ring on just to see what it would feel like."

He couldn't help but listen with undivided attention. So was that a yes or a no?

"I went to visit Hanabi after breakfast and there it was clear to me that… I'm- I'm sorry, Sasuke kun, I can't accept your offer."

But- but! She couldn't! She shouldn't! How could she say no to Uchiha Sasuke?

"I'm sure you're upset!" she squeaked, "I'm sorry b- but please understand!"

"Drop it." his voice rang in the silence afterwards. Stubbornly, he ate his lunch without saying a single word. He wasn't insulted or upset, not for rejection anyway. It ust annoyed him that everything was working out as planned until this girl showed up and messed up all his preconceptions about people.

He was perfectly fine without her; he'd had functioning eyes, a memory he could depend on, the confidence to manipulate everyone without worrying for a moment that they will not be manipulated. And then she showed up: talked back to him when everybody else was too scared to, told him what to do when she knew damn well he didn't need directions and most of all, she existed. And now he couldn't see, couldn't remember important, life-changing events, and didn't know heads from tails in human interaction.

Girls used to be one group of existence: annoying, emotionally unstable and disposable; she was different.

Konoha shinobi were a mass of hateful eyes and sneering mouths, but she smiled at him whenever their eyes met.

She knew what he needs before he even asked for it, she saved his life when everybody else was up for pulling the plug…

It infuriated him that she did all of that with no intention of receiving something –anything- in return; she should have accepted to be his wife, to be the head of the new Uchiha clan. She should have given herself a pat on the back for trapping her in her web and taken his name and money like the normal, selfish person that she should be.

Why?

Why isn't she asking for something in return?

He was angry at her for being confusing; he didn't know what to do with her anymore. Naruto was easy to understand; if he was angry, they'd fight, if he was hungry, they'd go eat, if he had something to say, he'd say it loud and clear. Naruto was his friend and in a way, his soul mate, they understood each other without words on the important aspects.

But this girl…

She was there, brushing against him day in and day out, but she wasn't his friend, she wasn't his ally, she wasn't his teammate or his family.

She wasn't anything.

Then why was she even here?

Sasuke downed the last of his water, pushed away the table with his finished lunch, and finally let the words out. "You're still here."

"Yes."

His heartbeat spiked, the girl thought he was asking when he was trying to make a point. "Go tell your sister what you decided."

"There's… No need."

Oh? "Because…?" He didn't care, not now; he just wanted her to take a hint and leave him alone. Her next words changed his mind.

"She's taken a turn for the worse… She's been in ICU for a few hours now… Th- They say she doesn't have… She's not going to make it." She sounded extremely sad, but she wasn't crying. "I think it's f- finally time to let go for real…"

"What happened?"

"Nobody knows. She just… Crashed." Her deep breath shook. "She really liked you, you know… She did…"

"Is that why you said no? Because she likes me?"

"No."

"I don't believe you."

"I don't mind…"

He couldn't see her fight against the rising waves of despair, not the sleeve she kept pressed to her eyes or the downwards curve of her mouth; he just heard the words she schooled into a neutral tone. He probably thought she had accepted her sisters fate, struggling with it for months on end had probably given enough time to come in terms and mourn her.

And then his own loss elbowed him in the ribs; the pain of losing his brother was still a thorn in his side even after so many years. One doesn't just mourn their one, their only and precious sibling, and then get on with life. There is always, _always_ a gaping hole that can never be filled with anything, not a single thing in the world, and it never really goes away.

"Take me to her." He finally said, a little less upset.

"Sasuke kun…" She must have been remembering that last time he was in a hospital gown asking to see her sister. "Why?"

He pressed his lips together to keep from saying something he might regret. "I want to see her before she's gone, to tell her to not involve herself with me in the next life."

Sasuke waited for the girl to make a reaction, hit him with the book, cry, maybe. Hinata simply sat up and touched his arm as an indication for him to use her as support. He pushed away from the bed with his good arm around her shoulder, one of her hands held his wrist while the other went around his back to keep him steady on his weak ankle. Her hair smelled nice, and it was convenient that she was just short enough for her to take normal steps without being too fast for him. They stopped twice to rest on their way to the elevator and three times on the way to the intensive care unit where her sister slept.

There was a Hyuuga guard from the branch house on the door that stopped them before they could go in, said that the Hyuuga Elder gave specific orders not to let anyone in unless they were doctors or a coroner.

"It will only take a few minutes, please." She tried.

"I have been warned of Uchiha san, he is –under no circumstances- allowed in."

Hinata gave the man a firm poke in the chest and watched as he collapsed to the floor, unconscious.

"What did you do?" Alarmed at the crashing sound, Sasuke held on tight to her shoulder.

"We have a few minutes before he wakes up."

He smirked and followed her guidance to the bed inside, the room was ridiculously cold and grim, the beeping machinery reminded him of those first few days of waking up in pitch black darkness with pain in every cell in his body. The stitches in his chest ached just slightly in response to the remembered pain.

Hinata slipped away without warning, startling him out of his thoughts and catapulting him in confusing pitch-black disorientation. He always had a few seconds of pure panic whenever he lost physical contact with his surroundings, afraid that the next time he blinked his eyes he would be attacked by a giant snake or a tip-toeing assassin and he wouldn't have a clue.

And then her hand found his again, he clutched it with abandon and let her guide him to a chair she pulled up. Her hand slipped gently from his to guide it to rest on a smaller, colder one.

Hanabi.

The moment their skin touched he felt a spark, of familiarity, of courage; of home.

And then that feeling was gone, in its place was a cloudy sky, stale air and crashing waves that caught the light of a hideous, giant red moon.

Uchiha Sasuke loved illusions.

In the world of genjutsu, you could be anything you wanted, impersonate anyone you wished to br and do unimaginable things to anyone; it was complete and utter control, and he loved it.

He especially liked Tsukuyomi, because even if it was a jutsu he could never master as much as Itachi did, in it he could exist perfectly, he could see, he wasn't broken, and he was trapped in it enough times to know how to break out.

Right now, he wasn't too enthusiastic about finding himself in it, because he wasn't alone.

How did he get here? How did _she_ get here?

Standing on a smooth stretch of land surrounded by nothing but inky waters, he glanced at the darkened sky once more just to give the sobbing figure a moment to acknowledge his presence. "Hanabi." He called to the girl that sat huddled a few feet away. Around her were several scattered weapons and unidentified splashes of blood. "It's me." He slowly stepped forward as to not startle her, and bent down to be at eye level while still keeping a safe distance between them.

Her head turned up but she wasn't impressed, "What, you're here to kill me, too? I'm tired, okay? I'm not going to fight anymore, just hurry up and do it."

Sasuke glanced around, nothing but water and air. No enemies. "Don't you want to get out of here?"

"There _is_ no getting out! I tried!" She spat blood to the smooth rock. "I messed up, I made a mistake. I made this Jutsu to protect myself but I got caught in it, Father will be disappointed… Just let me die. No, wait, I can't die… I have to apologize to him for failing so hard… My team will have to find a replacement…"

With a long breath, he stood straight and crossed his arms. Tsukuyomi had been something Itachi used often against serious foes; but as a curious boy, Sasuke had attempted exploring it as soon as he achieved the Mangekyou Sharingan. Hanabi's situation was far too familiar for words. It wouldn't be too bad to be trapped inside it once or twice, but one's mental health tended to get really funky really fast and the longer they lingered here the more messed up they were.

This girl had been here for months, her sanity had fried to a crisp long ago. "So you made this Jutsu? Huh? Impressive, what do you call it?"

She opened her heavily-lidded eyes to regard the vast emptiness of her surroundings. "Great entrapment, eternal mind control no jutsu."

He scoffed. "As pompous as expected from a Hyuuga. Unfortunately, it's called Tsukuyomi, and it's mine. You've been running around your little head using _my_ chakra to trap yourself into it. I think it's time you let go."

Hopeful, the girl's misty eyes cleared. "Huh?"

It made sense now, as if saying it out loud made him realize it had been the answer that taunted him all those days. **This** was why the girl was sick.

The first time he decided to hold her hand and give her some of this strength, the jutsu was something he copied off Orochimaru and was –until then- untested. He must have accidentally given her _everything_, a part of him must have abandoned all hope and attempted to dethatch itself from this body; unfortunately, the jutsu must have been flawed because he was still pretty much attached to an Uchiha's body save his all-important chakra.

No wonder he was feeling faint and weak, no wonder he hadn't been feeling angry or vengeful; it was all taken away.

It also explained why he wasn't able to call upon Susanoo or any of the summoning beasts he was in contract with. Hell, he couldn't even attempt a simple Katon without failing miserably.

It made perfect sense now, right here where the air was saturated with his essence, his techniques swirling around him sweetly like a spring breeze, the call of his snakes and the longing of his beast; he felt at home.

It was time to take it back.

Hanabi was like a mouse trying to fit the mass of an elephant inside its little body, but if she was strong enough to fight it for a few months then she's probably strong enough to survive the separation. "This is the nature of this Jutsu, it pinpoints your fears and exploits them." Sasuke crossed what little space left between them and rested a hand on her small head. "Your sister is waiting, you should go see her."

The girl sighed in evident relief and wiped at her face, she sat up to dust her clothes and then pointed a bloody hand to a far side of the small island. "What about him?"

Sasuke glanced in that direction, a hooded figure stood facing the crashing waves. When he looked back, Hanabi was gone. Without a moment's hesitation, he stepped up to the figure and waited for the person to respond.

Sensing his presence, the person turned to glance at him; his hair a premature shade of gray and his eyes narrowed behind unfashionably round glasses. "Sasuke kun…"

"Kabuto." He stood at the ready, although not too worried; the presence was weak and faded, barely holding on. "I knew someone was messing up my techniques."

He laughed a deprived, manic laugh. "Just as expected from my master's best pupil, you sensed me in your chakra and used the little girl's body because you knew I couldn't use her for long."

He didn't, if he knew the creepy sound nin existed anywhere in his system, he wouldn't have given anyone any of it. He didn't care much for the little girl, but the thought of giving this crazy bastard a chance of survival was absurd, he'd rather die than see Kabuto live for another minute, not after he used the bodies of deceased Uchiha members for his ridiculous, unholy jutsu. "It's about time you go, too." He told him firmly.

Feet shuffled, a senbon was in Kabuto's hand, it flew directly towards Sasuke's eye. Blood spilled, a bones were crushed and a hand found a jugular and squeezed, the genjutsu wavered, threatening to break; and then Kabuto collapsed under the weight of the stronger boy's control of the situation.

"I just-" He gasped, what little chakra he saved in the threads of the Uchiha were evaporating faster than he could catch up to. "I w- wanted to learn the secret- the secret of immortality. Your- your body; you who have" his breath hitched, his shadow disappearing fast, "killed Orochimaru sama, you who defeated the man in the mask; your determination alone could have withstood this jutsu! It's not- not too late! Let me take you to his remains! Let me show you what eternal life is! You and him, together you will be undying, strong and young forever, a legend!"

The thought appealed to him on some level.

He had denied the Sannin the chance to use his body once upon a time, because it meant loosing who he was in a time when he was too busy chasing his own family's legacy. He couldn't afford to lose track of that for anything in the world.

But now, there really wasn't much to chase; nothing at all.

Was it really that bad to be reborn into someone else without having to start from scratch?

So what if he became Uchiha Sasuke, the body of the strongest young shinobi who was the host of the strongest Sannin?

If Orochimaru could be brought back into his body, he would have to survive the life of a nineteen year old boy for as long as he required medical attention, girls having crushes on him and society treating him like a timed explosion seal.

It would be like hell on earth for someone so old.

On some morbid level, it was amusing.

Wasn't that what he had been wishing for?

To no longer be the poor boy who had his family tragically killed for politics, to not listen to strangers tell him he wasn't right in the head, that he wasn't worth four walls in their hotels or worthy of a bowl of rice in their shop…

To stop being Uchiha Sasuke.

Life wasn't interesting when he was alive, and it wasn't pleasant when he was dying…

Days were all the same, whether he could see or not, if he was dead or alive or in limbo, whether he had hoards of girls chasing after him or none, if he was married to someone or not, if he was popular or an outcast…

Would it really be bad to just drop everything and move on?

All he had to do was let go of the throat and it will be…

The world of Tsukuyomi had no physics of wind, but for some reason the scent of ocean and a sunny field wafted into his nose.

He would lose his mind and all memories once he gave his body up, he would never know who that mysterious girl in the field was…

Maybe she was a figment of his imagination, someone to hold when he couldn't wake up from his coma, someone conveniently comforting who will never exist in the real world.

Something he created to fill the gaps of memories that slipped through his fingers…

Memories… Things big and small, important or not, painful or pleasant; they will all disappear…

His life had just been a long, droning cycle of nothingness, would it matter if his memories disappeared? Would it matter if _he_ disappeared?

At least then his body would serve _some_ purpose…

This body that never knew affection, not once felt the warmth of a loved one on nights he couldn't sleep; this body that had spilled it's blood for a promise of revenge and justice, but was going away forever because he was too much of a coward to reach out and hold someone's hand.

The thin line tied to his sanity stretched, painfully taught; the image of a boy with blond hair and crystal eyes grinned at him.

"Maybe now old bag will make me Hokage, eh?"

"Maybe."

"And you'll be there to watch me, won't you, Sasuke?"

"Only until then."

"You promise?"

He'd sighed. "I promise."

"They'll be here any minute," the boy had pushed himself up to his elbows despite the pain, forcing a ridiculous smile on his bloody face. "It might take a while to get used to it, but it's all over now, isn't it? All the bad stuff and the revenge and all."

"Mm."

"You'll be a new Sasuke, right?"

"Mm."

"I'll never allow you to go back to being that stupid prick, alright? So I'll say it now: Goodbye, Uchiha Sasuke. And Welcome home."

His chest was nearly bursting with the drowning sensation; making it hard to react when a piece of the puzzle found home; this had been the boy's goodbye; it was a farewell to the unhappy person that he had been his whole life.

The boy… The one he'd promised to support until the day they both attained happiness.

Naruto…

Sasuke didn't love the village but, right now, he was the only thing standing between it and total destruction; he'd be damned if he let another shinobi war break out with _his_ body leading enemy troops.

His eyes rolled back into focus and in a sudden surge of power he crushed the throat between his fingers, the sickening sound of bones being crushed echoed in the nothingness of the void and the ocean waves crashed, splashing them with cold salt water and washing away the generous streams of blood pouring down his face. "Like I said," Sasuke hissed. "This is the nature of this Jutsu, it pinpoints your fears and exploits them. Over. And. Over. And. Over." He didn't know how the kunai made its way to his hands; all he knew was that blood was everywhere and that the parasite existence was quickly withdrawing itself out of his core, crumbling under the weight of its personal fears and recoiling into nothingness.

The image of a woman in a sunny field passed with exploding colors that nearly blinded his already irritated eyes, it was instantly pushed away by the tidal wave of his own memories. His mother smiled lovingly and pinched his cheek, Itachi laughing after pulling a prank on their father, the tomato patch in their backyard. Images of his parents falling to their death slapped him in the face, the parasite was trying to create an opening in which to slither back in, he set his jaw and fought back; pushing the kunai into the heart of his enemy as deep as it could possibly go. Itachi taunted him, called him a spineless child and Madara smirked from a distance, faces he recognized but didn't have time to appoint names to, laughed and cried and screamed in a deafening orchestra of agony and despair.

The soundtrack of his life played on, he let it wash over him, accepted it with every fiber of his being; it was what made him himself and he wouldn't have it any other way.

He remembers now, he remembers everything.

The puzzle he had been standing in front of for so long shuffled as if with magic, the pieces falling into place as memories- good and bad- returned to their rightful gap; Sakura tried to kill him, Naruto punched him hard enough to break his jaw. Killer-Bee making hand seals, Suigetsu, Karin and Kakashi and Madara and his mother and…

And Hinata…

They were standing in snow; the little particles were realistically cold on his face and when his tongue darted out to catch one out the corner of his mouth, it tasted like he was alive. His scarf danced in the wind, casting an eerie shadow under the yellow streetlight where he found the piece of jewelry that day, it now rested in his pocket because it was too cold to hold in his hand, but he thought it should go in a missing-items box somewhere because it looked like a wedding ring and those were usually emotionally-invested in.

Hinata had stumbled towards him from the head of the road with the sleeves of her kimono trailing behind her like the wings of a fairy. Her hair was clinging to her forehead and lips but she didn't seem to notice; hurried she was to tell him something. "Sasuke san, I finally caught up with you!"

He was angry at her, angry for her, he'd purposefully left their ceremony because he didn't have anything to say to her that wasn't going to sound awful. How could she give up her precious position as head of the clan without as much as a pout? "What do you want?" His hands were fisted in his pockets, the feel of the ring cold and sharp in his palm was distracting, he set his jaw and fixed her with a glare. "I didn't like your party, it was boring."

Tears pooled in her eyes, he couldn't' tell if she was cold or embarrassed. "I'm sorry… I guessed that you wouldn't like it…" Her hair danced in the wind much like his scarf. "P- Please come back… Just for dinner, at least."

He didn't want to see them again; not her, not her sister. "I'm tired, I'm going home."

Her lips formed words but they never made it through her windpipe.

The band in his palm was sucking the warmth out of his fingers, so he pulled it out and gave it to her. "Here. You take care of this." It wasn't his business to manage the lost-and-found booth of their district.

"What is it?" Her fingertips were red under the long sleeves, the ring rested in her small palm, catching the yellow light and reflecting on the simple design of her Obi.

"A ring, genius." Fisting his hands in his pockets again to recover some warmth, he finally admitted to himself why he wasn't planning to talk to her again, "I've decided not to chase you anymore, Hyuuga Hinata."

* * *

**Notes**: Sorry for the delay, I could list excuses but the reality is that I didn't like where the story was going even though I wrote a lot after this chapter. Eventually I scrapped them and decided to change everything from this point onwards. You'll be glad, trust me. I already have a few chapters written now, so the next few chapters shouldn't take too long (unless I hate them and decide to rewrite them again lol no but srsly) thank you for still reading! And please add the story to your Story Alert so you get emails whenever it is updated since I'm lousy at keeping up with schedules…


	12. Chapter 12

**My One In A Million**

Chapter Twelve:

Hyuuga Hinata was happy.

Happier than she'd ever thought possible; she smiled and hummed to herself whenever her mind wandered, she'd catch herself smiling for no reason when nobody was around, and of course she felt a sudden surge of energy and the strong urge to get things done.

It's been three days already, but this happiness wasn't slowing down or wearing off.

"Stop smiling to yourself without context, that's why people tend to think you're a creep." Hanabi mumbled and accepted the glass of pineapple juice from her sister.

"I'm happy that you're doing okay." Hinata smiled openly and finished arranging some clothes in the drawers, then climbed over the side of the bed to wrap her arms around her. "I love you, Hanabi."

"Yeah you said that already, that's seven times today…" Hanabi was grumpy and moody, but she wasn't angry. She was thankful she was alive at all. "I love you too." She brushed away an irritating stray hair and drank her juice slowly. Her stomach wasn't used to food because of the many months she'd had without solid food. Thankfully, Hinata had the genius idea to give her pudding which worked like a miracle to calm the urge to throw up. It was great because her sister always brought different flavors, so it was like a small, minuscule adventure to try new flavors. "So… Is dad coming today?"

Hinata stopped grinning long enough to answer. "I don't know, they're still busy with the meetings and the papers, I think he will be at the Hokage tower all day. Maybe tonight?"

Hanabi grumbled incoherently then sipped her drink. "Why didn't he just put you back in charge? I mean, sure I'd make an awesome clan leader, but I'm not any good to him dead."

"Don't say that."

"It's the truth." She wriggled her brows playfully; the dark area around her eyes was starting to fade away now that she wasn't on the verge of death. "I was almost gone back there."

"But you're not! You're okay! Now please eat your pudding and think happy thoughts."

Hanabi huffed, suddenly at a loss of words. After a long moment of reflecting back on what she remembered, she asked quietly. "Does he ever tell you anything?"

Hinata brushed back Hanabi's hair lovingly, mentally noting that it had gotten longer but was brittle and thin. "Father never tells me anything, not unless he absolutely has to."

"No, not dad… I mean… Sasuke." She shot her a glance. "Does he um… Does he ever talk about… Things?"

"What do you mean? What things?"

Hanabi shifted uncomfortably. "Well, I sat around soaked in his chakra for so long, I've… Seen a few things. Things I never thought possible…" She waited for a reaction, but as expected, there was none. Her sister was bad at reaching conclusions unless she knew the whole story. "It would have been great if it was just blood and killing, you know; but it's not. The feelings attached to it hurt so much you'd… You'd… I don't know, if I was him I'd never want to feel anything again."

After a quiet moment, Hinata drew her fingers into Hanabi's hair again, gently, like soothing a sleeping cat. "They're not your memories, it is okay to forget them…"

Hanabi put away her glass and actually hugged Hinata tightly, hiding her face because she was too proud to show her tears, but too young to sort out her feelings rationally. "I know he saved my life, I'm- I'm thankful for him, really I am. I even think he's handsome sometimes… When he's not glaring." She sniffled and tried hard to speak through the quiver in her voice; Hinata held her tightly and gave her all the time she needed. "But I didn't ask for this! I didn't want to know him this well! It's- it's disgusting, Hinata, he's hideous! His father died in front of him, he was scared but a big part of him was happy and relieved! I felt it, too, it made me sick! And that Akatsuki member from the Uchiha, his brother, his flesh and blood; he killed him! I felt myself laughing afterwards, laughing so hard that tears were running down my face- his face I don't know which but it was!" She shook for a long moment, and when she regained her composer she spoke again. "Not just his brother, you know, people with Sharingan -his family!- and his teammates, and even a few people he personally handpicked, he wanted to kill them, all of them. The ways he would imagine them being separated from their bodies… it's just awful… Who would spend every minute of every day thinking about death and killing and all that… Hinata did you know." She pushed away to look into her eyes. "Did you know that in there, there wasn't a single happy memory? None, zip, nadda, nothing! He was never happy, not even once! That Jutsu I was trapped in messes with my mind, but no matter how hard I looked, there wasn't a single good thing to hold on to! I wanted to get back, to find my own memories but there were a lot of people to fight and I was tired… And then it just…"

Hinata's eyes were brimming with tears, for many different reasons, but when she spoke she said in a soft voice. "Ne, do you remember that time when you wanted me to convince him to come back to your initiation ceremony so you can confess?"

"Don't rub it in…"

Hinata smiled, "You were very happy then, weren't you? You were young and in love."

Hanabi made a comical face. "Don't say it like that! Ugh I'm gonna throw up! It wasn't love just- just maybe I dunno curiosity? A crush? I don't know what it is but it wasn't love!"

"It was, back then, at least you thought it was. But now it changed." She said softly, patiently. "Maybe he learned things that made him change, too. Maybe a lot of bad things happened to him one after the other, and he forgot what it was like to be happy again."

"Don't defend him, he's just a terrible person, there's no excuse for murdering your family."

Seeing that Hanabi's mood switched to stubbornness, Hinata decided to give her some space. "You should finish your drink. I'll go out for a little, do you want me to get you anything?"

Hanabi huffed and shot her a pleading glance, as if she didn't want to be left alone. "Where are you going?"

"Iruka sensei wanted to see me about that promotion I talked to you about, I'm still not sure if I'll accept being a regular…" After a moment's hesitation, she believed it was safe to say the next phrase, "A- And I want t- to pay him a visit, I haven't seen him since the day you woke up…"

"What? You mean Uchiha? Why?"

"I owe him my gratitude, Hanabi, we all do. You're the one who told me that he talked to you and helped you out of that genjutsu, doesn't that mean he saved you in a sense?" Hinata slipped off the bed and arranged her clothes and rolled down her sleeves.

"Yeah I guess but… I don't need to see him, too, do I? I don't want to…"

Hinata smiled brightly. "I'm sure he'll understand. Anyway, Father put guards on duty to keep him from even coming close to this wing. It's strange, don't you think? Father usually does what's right even if he didn't like it…"

Hanabi picked up her juice and smiled into her drink. "I dunno… Maybe he wasn't thinking straight."

"Maybe." They shared a smile, knowing that their overprotective father was ecstatic about Hanabi's recovery but was never good at showing it in ways that were easier to understand.

When she finally made it to top floor where Sasuke's room was, she noticed it was strangely deserted save a few guards and Anbu stationed here and there. One Anbu even stopped her to advise her from proceeding any further for her own safety.

She told him she would be fine.

Sasuke's room was unguarded, but a masked Anbu stood at the end of the hallway, watching her every move. She knocked on the door as she usually did for the past few weeks, but the answer she received wasn't the usual silence or the nonchalant 'come in'.

"I swear I'll kill every one of you if you open that door!"

Her heart skipped a beat, and her throat was suddenly parched; a startling amount of chakra burst on the other side of the door. Anger, frustration and pent-up anxiety shifted ominously so close to her own chakra that she felt like if she opened the door now, the energy would swarm her like angry hornets. "It's – it's me." She cleared her throat and spoke louder. "It's me, Hinata."

"GO AWAY!"

Surprised, she glanced at the Anbu who shook his head no.

Well if she went away now nothing would change, obviously the patient wasn't getting any treatment because everybody was too scared to go in, and if he wasn't getting any treatment then he's only getting worse. Who knows what happened to him when they hauled his unconscious body back to his bed and shut the door. It was natural for Hanabi to get better because it was a foreign entity that was removed; but Sasuke…?

Oh, if only Tsunade wasn't away. If only Naruto wasn't on a deserted island. Sakura doesn't seem to be on good terms with him, either. There aren't many people who he might listen to in these situations…

With a deep breath and a gulp, she mustered the courage and opened the door before common sense could kick in and convince her to run away.

Behind the door was a complete mess of a room; there was glass every were, from the windows and vase and medical supplies. The walls were charred in some places, as if a fire had caught on the wallpaper but was extinguished before it could eat its way into the foundations. Fabric was shredded in patches on the floor, she couldn't tell if it was curtain material or if the bed sheets were no longer sheets.

There was a boy on the edge of the bed, his back hunched as he breathed hard. The hospital gown was undone at the top and gave a generous view of the fresh scars on his back; on his shoulder blades like someone had stuck exploding seals and let them go off, and several scratches above and below that. As she rounded the bed, carefully stepping over bigger shards of glass and noticeable spots of blood, she found his face twisted in a sneer.

"What do you want?" He hissed, the plaster on his arm was cracked but in place, his other hand held the bed in a death grip. The line from the IV looked like it got ripped out, washing the back of his hand with his own blood, but had long since stopped bleeding. His hair was a mess, the nightstand was missing the usual water container and vase, and the hospital slippers were nowhere to be seen.

"I- I came to see how y- you were doing." Her voice shook, she was genuinely scared, but a part of her believed he wouldn't try to kill her, at least not right away. Hinata had a moment to consider how she might defend herself if he was unstable enough to try anything, thought she could go for his good arm and paralyze it, and if it comes down to it she might end up blowing out his jugular points if he used sheer body volume against her.

She shook herself out of it before it got too detailed, this was exactly what Hanabi was angry about; fantasizing about someone's death.

"Heh." His shoulders jumped at the humorless scoff. "How long has it been, princess, a week? Two weeks? Close the door on your way out."

She noticed the blood dripping down his chin but couldn't tell where it was coming from, his hair was a dirty mess on his face and he wasn't looking at her.

"Three days… J- Just three days a- and I'm sorry I couldn't come before." She opened her mouth to tell him an excuse, there were guards, or her father had prohibited it, or Hanabi needed her… But really, the real reason was that she'd assumed he was as good as new, just like Hanabi, and that he didn't need her around to help him anymore. She could tell he simply tolerated her because she was helpful, she accepted that, but she wasn't about to tell him that. There was nothing she could say that would make the situation any better, not right away. "I'm sorry."

"Whatever, just go, you're annoying."

Hear heart did that thing where it squeezed painfully like someone had put their hand through her ribs and tried to wring all the blood out of her heart; it hadn't happened in a while but with all the excitement that was going on lately it was a surprise it took this long. She waited it out, breathing shallowly and holding the side of the bed as firmly as she could until the pain subsided to a dull ache and then disappeared completely. "I'm sorry."

"You said that already." He snapped, "I hate to repeat myself." His head turned to her slightly, and it was only then that she noticed.

He was still blind.

"S- Sasuke kun… You can't see, can you?"

His mouth shut tight, his jaw tensed.

Hinata carefully shuffled to stand in front of him and asked, "Can I please see?" At first he was frowning and edging away, but when she pushed back clumps of hair he let her angle his head up for her to take a look. "Your right eye is bleeding."

He swallowed down the bubbling rage in his chest long enough to mumble. "Yeah it happens when a massive amount of chakra is shoved back into your system but you can't fight it out so your dojutsu just goes berserk."

Her nervousness came to a screeching halt; he wasn't really angry or murderous, he was just unstable. Hanabi was like that, too.

Of course Hanabi's moodiness could be handled by hugging, crying it out, and eating puddings. But this boy, she had no idea what he needed to sort out his violated feelings.

"I'll get a towel to wash it away, okay?" He didn't say anything; she took it as a yes. She had to pick up a towel that had been flung at the IV stand and stuck there since there were no other towels in the immediate vicinity of this room. "What happened to the room?" she finally asked after squeezing the towel in the sink. "Bad day?"

He scoffed, she couldn't tell if he was amused or upset. "Are you going to badger me about everything now? Last time I checked, you weren't Sakura."

Okay, upset it is… "I'm sorry." And that was the last of it for a while. She dabbed his eye clean to look at, and decided that it was reddened and dry from excessive use of the mangekyou. She found an emergency first-aid box hung on the wall that he wasn't aware of and couldn't reach, then extracted gauze and tape to use over his eye. She was silent, and he was busy using the warm towel to clean his face, slowly the general anxiety in the room's atmosphere went down several notches until it didn't feel like a furnace anymore.

She had done sticking the gauze over his eye when he held her wrist without warning. Birds were chirping outside, sandals shuffled in the hallways above and below them, and the wind coming in through the window tickled the smaller shards on the floor. The sounds and fresh air were pleasant, but the boy in front of her was anything but.

He looked like he was having a stomachache. "Why am I still here?" she didn't have an answer. "Why didn't I just die? Why is it hard to just- _kill_ someone?" His thumb pressed against the fragile veins in her wrist. "You think so, too, don't you? You're wishing you'd let them pull the plug so you don't have to pretend anymore…"

Hinata finally found her voice, albeit a little breathless. "I'm not pretending."

"Then what are you doing here? You're not a nurse, you can't use the excuse of being engaged anymore, we're not friends or teammates or family; so why are you here?"

It's just emotional turmoil, she told herself, he's not really questioning her motives. "We _are_ friends."

"We're not." He hissed, the pressure on her wrist grew. "Nobody is, not me. Why would anyone- It's- uhh ughhh." He held his head as if a splitting headache just hit him and doubled over; his hair grew a few gray hairs almost instantly, black finger-like wings exploded out of his back and then disappeared in a puff of black smoke that writhed like a snake, then it was gone.

So those were the cause of the scars on his back…

"Sasuke kun, please calm down, everything is going to be okay."

"It won't!" He finally snapped, pushing her away from him and in the process losing his grip on the edge of the bed. He stumbled down at her feet, his head knocked against her knees and instinctively his hand held the fabric she wore for stability, to keep the darkness from swallowing him into oblivion. He'd liked the darkness, metaphorically, he'd told Naruto occasionally that he was okay with being lost in it. But to actually live life in complete darkness, without a ray of light… "You're a Hyuuga…" He whispered as if to himself. "One touch from you can kill anyone…"

"S- Sas-"

"No one will care, I'm sure." For the first time since she knew of the existence of Uchiha Sasuke, she heard defeat in his voice. "I'm done. I'm- there's nothing for me here. It's over."

When she opened her mouth to tell him something –anything- she found that all she could do was stop from crying out loud. She stood there with her hands in fists and a boy literally at her feet, begging her to kill him. "A- And Naruto kun?"

"He'll understand." His fingers uncurled from the cuff of her pants. "If he doesn't, we'll sort it out in the next life."

Hinata went down on her knees and hugged him as tight as she possibly could and tried hard not to sob out loud. He was frozen in place, his heart beating fast against her chest. "Why are you crying?" He asked, his breath in her ear. "It doesn't solve anything."

"Because it's okay to cry sometimes, even if it doesn't solve anything." That was all she could say before her throat constricted tightly enough for her voice to disappear.

It felt strange because she was supposed to be the one comforting him, but the way his hand rested on her shoulder made it feel like he was doing the comforting instead. Just when she thought it was beginning to be embarrassing and was convincing herself to push away, he bowed his head and pulled her to him with his good hand to hide his face in her hair, the arm in the sling was awkwardly wedged between them but it didn't stop his shoulders from shaking, or the skin under her palms to rise in pinpricks through the rips in the fabric on his back.

At first it felt like a shy peek through a keyhole, and then suddenly the whole door came crashing down under the weight of the massive tsunami that had been trapped inside.

The proud Uchiha Sasuke finally allowed himself to let go.

She regained her role as the composed one and gently motioned her hand up and down a small spot on his back, even in his moment of complete vulnerability, he was silent and still, probably unaware of how stealthy he'd taught himself to be. Well, the first step was for him to admit that he wasn't okay, letting go completely doesn't have to happen right away, if at all.

Kurenai and Ino had told her about grief counseling sessions they had to attend after the war, the nurses were open to physical affection and encouraged one to let go of courtesy and just do what one must.

Holding him like this felt slightly inappropriate yet familiar. It brought forth a memory that was a few months old, but still as fresh as if it had only been yesterday: She'd had heard that Uchiha Sasuke was hospitalized after the attack of the sound, and he was announced a hopeless case, He was going to be let go in a few days according to a village council's decision. She didn't even know what convinced her to go see him that day; maybe it was because Naruto wasn't around, or because she had a check up in the hospital that same morning anyway… He was said to not respond to any stimulants, the doctors said he didn't even dream, so there was a big chance that even if he woke up he would only be an empty shell. Even knowing that, the urge to visit ate at her. She thought she'd go talk to the sleeping boy one last time just so that…

So that…

There really was no logical reason… She felt like she _wanted_ to go.

He was all alone, his only friend was away and he was going to be leaving this world without ever having someone to spare him as much as a goodbye.

She'd seen enough comrades and family members die in an instant, just keel over after a quick strike to the chest or a gust of razor-sharp wind, without ever having the chance to say any last words or leave a will for their loved ones.

An abrupt departure from this life was painless, sure, but everyone had at least one thing they wanted to take care of before leaving. Regrets, a next of kin, someone they love that they haven't told yet.

It was sad to let someone go like that, mechanically as if they were trees being chopped down without a second glance.

So that day she went to visit the doomed boy, and she talked to him about the weather and about that one time he joined them in a drinking party, how she would have loved to make pasta with him on that one rainy day, but declined because her father wouldn't have allowed it; he didn't move, the machines didn't change their pace and it didn't seem like he heard any of it.

The pillow under him had bothered her, a few hairs had clung to it and it looked rough and lumpy, the nurses did their best to avoid physical contact with him, obviously, god knows how many days had passed before his sheets were changed. So she figured she would roll him over just enough to pull it out and fluff it up before going home.

Just so that she could convince herself that she'd done all she could, even if it's insignificant and even if Naruto never knows, she would do it for herself because it was the right thing to do.

Something about going through a war; one learns that regretting the things that were has done is awful and oftentimes embarrassing, but regretting something that should have been done is bitter and permanent.

Putting her plan into action to fluff up his pillow, though, meant she had to be sitting over the edge of the bed and pulling him up against her shoulder. The pillow had gone askew and had somehow lodged itself under his shoulder blade –it was a big pillow- maybe whoever was in charge of his welfare wasn't very careful about the details.

They never thought he'd wake up, definitely, and so never bothered to make sure he was comfortable.

It was sad, even if she barely knew who he really was, being neglected like a piece of furniture was heartbreaking.

She had just finished dusting the pillow as best she could with him literally in her arms when the sensation of his quiet breath against her neck sent shivers up her spine and heat in her face, even as she worked fast to fluff the pillow in hopes of putting him back where he belonged as soon as possible, a damp drop found its way to her blouse. She didn't have time to worry about what kind of bodily fluid it had been because she glanced down when she noticed that his chest had been expanding and contracting out of rhythm, he had also started shivering.

A quiet gasp that wasn't hers caused her to instantly drop the pillow and carefully push away far enough to look at the boy's face.

It was very slight, but his brows were drawn together in an expression of anguish, his lashes damp with a tear.

Dreamless and unresponsive Uchiha Sasuke was crying, as if somewhere in his heart he knew this would be the last time he ever felt another person's warmth.

That day she found herself swearing that she wouldn't let him be handled as anything less than a human. And today she found herself reminded that even if he had the strength to tear down a whole room while blind and strapped in gauze, the temperament to frighten a whole ward of doctors and patients, and keep a whole country anxious for the day he left, he was only human.

Her tears have subsided after the initial urge to protect him ebbed away, but the boy was still in pieces in her arms. It almost frightened her how much he'd held back and was too scared to ask how long he'd been bottling it all up. All she could do was gently pat his back and listen to his quiet gasps.

Hanabi had said he was disgusting, hideous, a murderer; but maybe there were parts of him Hanabi couldn't see. Parts that remained locked in his heart -ambitions or trauma, maybe even happiness- that were so personal and intimate that he couldn't shake loose even by giving away everything.

Slowly but with effort, he calmed down long enough for his breath to even out and for him to persistently wipe away at the tears. He pushed away carefully and furrowed his brows at her. "I can… I can see some bright-" He croaked, his visible eye rimmed in red but focused on her face. "Ugh, it's gone."

She stopped him from rubbing it raw and pushed away the tangled hair. "It will be okay, you just need to rest." A quick glance around told her no rest would be taken in this messy room. "Do you… m- maybe want to go to another room?"

He nodded, aware of what he'd done to the place but showing no clear signs of what he thought of it. He held her arm tightly on that short trip to the next room, he'd purposefully neglected to mention that he had caused enough noise and chakra disruption to chase out all the in patients and their doctors. He didn't want to talk about how everything and everyone got on his nerves, he couldn't help it, every sound they made or visitor they welcomed annoyed his hyperactive senses. In hindsight, he thought it was a good idea.

"Smells like hospital." He murmured when the door shut behind them in the new room.

"I'll bring flowers later if that's okay…" She took him to the bed and pulled the sheets over to his knees. "Is- Is it okay if- If I come later?"

He held her arm for a moment longer than necessary before letting it fall to his lap, his mouth opened to say something but all the things he wanted to say battled for too long and in the end he decided not to say anything at all.

Eventually, he turned to his side and pretended to go to sleep. He listened to her shuffle around the room to close the curtains, turn off the lights and slide the door open.

"Hyuuga."

She stopped to look at him. "Y- Yes?"

"Don't… Don't tell anyone…" He said slowly without turning.

"Tell them what?"

He didn't have to see her to know that she understood.


	13. Chapter 13

**My One In A Million**

Chapter Thirteen:

He smelled the mandarin before he heard the soft hum of a tune he didn't recognize, and then light pierced into his eyes like tiny needles. His heart stopped beating for an instance when his blurry eyes caught sight of his mother's back.

Her hair was slightly longer than he remembered, but she was the same height and weight. When she turned to look at him he noticed she'd gotten a different cut to her bangs… And her black eyes were shut or… Maybe her eyes were not black anymore…

Wait…

His mother was dead.

Uchiha Sasuke shifted in his bed and rubbed his eyes vigorously to clear away the fog. One of his eyes was covered so he left it alone, but the other simply refused to clear up.

"G- Good morning." Hinata said softly, as if afraid to wake someone up. "How do you feel?"

"How do I look like I feel?" He huffed and flung the covers off his legs to head to the bathroom, wash his face and mouth, and then stub his toe on the doorframe while walking out. The light disappeared and he found himself in darkness again, but this time he didn't feel completely hopeless because he knew the layout of the room, and because he was sure of his slow but eventual recovery.

His ears tingled at the realization that he had been childish last night; that he'd shown this girl something embarrassing, something she'll never let him live down.

If Naruto came to the village today and asked her what he'd missed, the blonde will never let him live it down.

Hell, she didn't need to tell anyone, just knowing that she'd seen him at such a pathetic state was humiliating in itself…

How hard is it to alter someone's memories, really?

Sasuke hopped onto the bed and leaned back against the pillows –they were startlingly fluffy- and accepted the touch of a cold hand that pressed a warm cup of tea into his palm. The first sip went down with a bitter aftertaste, but the more he drank the better his stomach felt.

It didn't help with the sudden outbreak of cold sweat…

After a quiet moment, it became too much for the anxious one, so he casually asked: "How's your sister?" It was the better alternative to: _let's casually not acknowledge that I bawled like a baby yesterday. _

The smell or mandarin tickled his nose again, the sound of a peel landing in the waste bin was confirmation that the woman was undisturbed by the question and maybe, perhaps, she wasn't thinking about his breakdown yesterday. "She's great." Hinata sounded genuinely happy. "She ate some rice today, that's progress, right?"

"Mm…" He remembered the first time he ate rice after waking up; he had to throw up three times. "You're here early."

"It's the weekend."

"Hn…" He really needed to get back on track with training and stuff… Strangely, he didn't feel like it was that important to be the strongest, not anymore. His shoulders slacked when the conversation drifted to silence and she didn't ask him about last night, or even emit any curious chakra.

"I'm- I'm sorry."

His throat constricted, here it comes.

She sighed quietly. "I- I just… I was thinking um about something, it's about work, I d- didn't mean to stop talking."

Oh… Her over-politeness was to the point of confusion. "What about work?"

For some reason it was a relief to know that she wasn't going to remind him about last night, even if a part of him wanted her to, just so that he can find out what she really thought of him.

"W- Well… Iruka sensei asked me if I wanted to be a regular. I'm just a temporary, you see, and um I don't know…"

He didn't know much about being a teacher, but wasn't having regular income better than irregular income? "What did you tell him?"

"N- Nothing yet, I needed to think about it." She watched him finish his tea and put away the cup. "I'm not sure if I can be a good teacher."

Her voice was so small he might have not understood everything hadn't he been so dependent on his ears. "They wouldn't have asked you if they didn't think you'd be."

She went silent.

Did he offend her?

It felt a little strange to realize that no, he probably _complimented_ her. It was the usual scenario, wasn't it; an employer wouldn't hire a temp unless they thought they were up for the task. Even in the shinobi business the teams who establish not only their synchronized teamwork abilities, but also their individual prowess, could become a chuunin.

Because later on they will have to go through individual missions, and only someone who was self confident without the support of his team could get things done.

Of course, he was never a Chuunin, not officially. He'd zoomed through the ranks under the guidance of the world's strongest shinobi and surpassed them. He doubted this village had a fitting title for someone of his current level.

Well, not right now; but once he was back in shape, he would ask Naruto for suggestions.

Fighting a slight smile, he asked. "When is Naruto coming back? Do you know?" He was starting to recover the inspiration to work out, and the boy was the only worthy companion and sparring partner.

The peeling stopped as she thought. "N- No, um…Well… I'm not sure, a- and if I'm not sure I'm not supposed to say it to anyone…" She noticed the line that appeared between his brows, "B- But you are his friend, s- so I guess it's okay as long as you don't tell someone else, okay?"

"I don't have anyone to tell." He rolled his eyes. "What is it?"

"A- At first I thought Naruto kun was away for training, Sakura chan said so, too. Then a few days ago I heard from Neji-nii that the situation in the Rain was so bad that Naruto-kun had to go there himself. Neji-nii and Lee san even had to gather teams and travel to assist him. A-Akatsuki members used to lead it, right? I'm sure it was left in chaos after the war…"

So Naruto was off doing great things, saving countries and being a hero; while he had to sit here in a hospital bed and drink herbal tea.

Suddenly the competitive side of him stirred and he found himself wondering why he wasn't already in rehab, training his bad ankle back into shape and working out the extra pounds he was putting on in the form of rice pudding. "When can I start rehab?"

The abrupt change of topic startled her. "Um… I'll ask Sakura chan if you like." At his nod she smiled and offered him a plate of peeled mandarin. "Would you like some?"

"Hn, I guess." He'd been impatiently waiting for her to give him those, how dare she even ask him if he wanted or not?

"Oh, a- also, the nurse left this on the nightstand while you were asleep. It's your release papers; I think you can leave the hospital when you sign them, if you want."

"They must have seen my previous room." She giggled. He nipped his thumb and let her press it in the right spot, then popped a lobe into his mouth. "Have you ever broken into someone's house before?"

"E- Eh? N- No! Why would I do that?"

Strange, he thought Hyuuga family members would make great burglars. "I don't remember where I left the keys to my apartment, and I need clothes to leave the hospital."

She put two and two together. "O- Oh… W- well I guess it's okay since you are giving me permission, it's not really breaking in… B- But um m- maybe you can ask someone else, l- like Kiba kun he's good at finding things a- and m- maybe-"

"No. Just you." His brows crashed down; the last thing he wanted was that insufferable guy poking around his apartment. "I wouldn't have asked if I had anything better to wear."

"I- I understand…" She nervously chewed on a lobe of mandarin and then asked. "S- So where exactly is it?"

Sasuke sipped some water before resting back against the pillows. "The old building just under the Hokage mountain; you know, the one with red tiles and a bunch of homeless people."

"Oh…? Ooooh! Umm… S- Sasuke kun I'm sorry but… That building went down two months ago!" her voice shrunk, as if it was her fault. "During the attack of the sound, a lot of explosives went off there and the buildings around it- They took it down because it was dangerous, I'm sorry!"

"I get it." Almost immediately, his mind preceded to bullet the assets he had left. A few small cottages in the country side, the whole Uchiha district, the sum of money that was his inheritance of the clan separated in different deposits around the different hidden villages. There were scrolls for a few items of property in that apartment, hidden in a crack in the wall, but he would only need them if he wanted to sell them … Some of the more important contracts were copied in his mind with the sharingan, he could recreate it on any piece of parchment if he had to.

For now he was financially safe.

Save for the fact that he didn't have a place to stay or a shirt on his back…

Damn, he'd usually turn to Naruto in these situations, the boy would never say no if his frog pouch was having a good day; but he wasn't here right now… It was unlikely, but he had a feeling that if he tried to crash at Naruto's place anyway, he'd end up encountering Sakura. He didn't want to deal with her unless it was absolutely necessary.

Hinata picked the plate up from the side of the bed and went to wash it in the sink.

It was nice having her around; she knew when to leave him to his devices if he didn't care to continue a conversation, and she fed him nice things.

A part of him wanted to be pampered, to just sit back and let someone else do all the thinking and working so he can just eat, sleep and do the things he enjoyed doing.

Hmm, he wouldn't normally think of Hyuuga Hinata when he was considering options out of a sticky situation, and it wasn't like he was completely desperate. That started to change after last night, he felt like it was necessary to test her and see how far she would go for him before eventually giving up or stabbing him in the back.

He didn't accept her as an ally or friend, not yet.

Maybe not ever; he'd never met a human who belonged to the female class of the population who was even remotely reliable.

Testing her made for good entertainment, he could always poke her from different angles and watch her squirm: weak body, too polite, not enough chakra, bad vocal control, useless without the eyes, not intimidating enough, submissive to her clan.

It was almost amusing how many things he could use to get under her skin, usually girls would lay out their deepest secrets from the get go which made it boring but this girl actually had layers.

"Well it looks like I don't have anywhere to stay when I leave here." He said when she came back, the sugar from the fruit must have started to circulate in his system because he could see shifting colors in front of his exposed eye. "You think I can crash at your place?"

To his surprise she wasn't even startled. "Okay, I guess." At his obvious confusion, she explained with a quieter tone of voice. "Hanabi left the hospital yesterday to recover at home, my father suggested I move back in to be with her until she got back on her feet. It was a temporary apartment anyway so… Y- You can have it if you want, furniture and all."

That was almost too easy. "And you do whatever your father tells you to do?"

Now she was flustered. "N- No! I mean- He's not wrong, most of the time… I trust his opinion so…"

"What if he tells you to jump off a cliff." At her silence he smirked. "What if he tells you to marry someone you don't want to marry? What if he tells you to quit your job?"

In a very very small voice, she said, "He did…"

Sasuke couldn't decide if she was addressing the marriage proposal or quitting her job, and was startled at himself for being aggravated with both possibilities. "He told you to quit your job?" _Or_…?

"W- Well, I never really needed it, a- and I was temporary anyway so… When I asked my father about being a regular he said he thought I'm better than just a teacher… I'm not really" She stopped to find the right word. "I'm not- I don't know if I'll make a good one b- because I'm so… Well… How could I… Sorry, I- I know you don't want to hear this."

"Are you just inventing excuses? It's simple, really." He shifted uncomfortably, anger that was not directed at anyone in particular churned in his stomach. "I remember a time when my father's opinion meant the world to me; turned out his _opinions_ were the reason the Uchiha were massacred. Nobody should tell you how to live your life but yourself, princess, stop blaming others for your own choices."

She was quiet, allowing the words to sink it, he mistook it for defiance and hastily added, "Or whatever you want to do, I don't really care. I don't even know why I'm lecturing you to not listen to other people's lectures." He shut his mouth with a click, then chose his words carefully the next time he opened it. "Ever since I got my chakra back, I've not been myself, so…"

"Moody?"

"Yes." He hissed, glad that he didn't have to explain further.

"Hanabi is moody, too. It- it gets better if you let it run it's course."

The kindness in her voice got on his nerves. "Don't you have other things to do? Other people to annoy?"

"O- of course. Um, I'll go now… S- See you later, okay? Um, I'll be back in the afternoon to take you to- to the apartment. You're still going, right?" He shrugged. "I'll be moved out by tonight, the landowner will be visiting tomorrow for the rent, I'll- I'll talk to him then."

"So after all of that, you're still just doing what your father orders."

"They're not orders…"

"Whatever you say."

Hinata gently slid the door shut behind her, quietly and without further discussion.

He huffed and tried to replay the conversation in his mind in an attempt to pinpoint exactly when it started to go downhill.

X x x x x

His eyes were still refusing to work properly so he had to trust his nose when it was afternoon and his door slid open to the scent of wet grass and dogs.

"Inuzuka?" His nose itched.

"E- Eh? N- No it's just me." Hinata leaned her umbrella by the door and walked in to tentatively place a shopping bag by his side on the bed; anxiety was practically radiating out of her. "I- I brought you some clothes…"

"Is he with you? I can smell him…" It sounded like something the Inuzuka himself would say, he didn't care; he hated the scent.

"W- Well he helped me buy them since I- I- w- well they were in the men's section…"

He could just picture her, cowering outside and watching her friend's every move through the shop's window because she didn't want to get too close to the male underwear displays.

"Oh, your arm!" she touched his left arm which was now wrapped in a thin layer of gauze instead of the thick cast he'd had this morning. "Is it all healed now?"

"Yeah, the doctor said it was healing nicely." He conveniently left out the part where he threatened the doctor to keep him from ordering another plaster.

"So… A- Are you ready to leave the hospital now?" Hinata was smiling while she extracted the garments from the bags, but something about the strain in her voice gave her away.

She'd been nothing but helpful to him all day and he'd done nothing but put her down.

"Yeah." He didn't need to stay any longer, his arm didn't hurt as long as he didn't bang it against the side of the bed, and his only shortage was in eyesight. "I bet he bought hideous things just to spite me."

Hinata sighed –or chuckled really quietly- and pulled out a jacket for him to feel. "Kiba kun is a kind person, he likes teasing others but he's really… Well he's grateful to you, he understands how you saved Hanabi's life, she's like a sister to him."

"I don't want to hear it." He let her place the thick fabric in his hand and rubbed it between his fingers. "Was it raining outside?"

"Y- Yes, a little…"

"It's wet." There were drops of water on the seemingly waterproof fabric.

"Sorry…"

He could tell the girl was already regretting doing him this favor. Well he wasn't amused that the Inuzuka was in on his business, she shouldn't have involved others… But then again, he had two options right now: either get his eyesight back in the next five minutes, or magically find his way to his apartment complex amongst a whole village of new buildings.

He needed this girl to be on his side for now.

It was the same mindset he'd had last week, but thinking of using her so openly now made him stop and reflect on how twisted he'd become.

Now that all his memories and emotions were intact, he still had a bit of pride and chivalry alive and kicking somewhere deep down.

It took a good amount of mental preparation, but he finally choked out his gratitude. "Thanks."

"O- Oh no problem." She sounded glad and maybe a bit surprised, but didn't push her luck.

Hinata only stuck around long enough for him to start undoing the knot on the side of his gown, and announced that she was going to wait outside in the hallway for some fresh air.

The soft clothes were soothing on his skin, fit nicely and were easy to wear for someone with an injured wrist; they smelled like dog, though, he couldn't wait to take them off.

He had to have her hold his arm on their way out and into the streets, but before they left the building she asked him to allow her something.

"The nights are getting a little cold." She said quietly while wrapping the scarf around his neck more securely, the scent of sunshine and antiseptic wafted into his nose. "I've read that being cold isn't good for recovery. P- please take care not to get too cold."

"I don't like the heat." He hated stuffy, tight and restricting clothes or the searing heat of summer; he was quite alright with cold but didn't try to prolong the exchange by pointing that out.

In the streets, people around them went silent whenever they passed. Seeing the village's unwelcome guest being so friendly -scandalous even!- with the Hyuuga princess, was big news.

Let them talk, at least maybe the buzz of his recovery would rub it in the noses of the council that they couldn't snuff him out this time.

He leaned slightly to tell her in a voice only she could hear. "See, if you'd said yes, holding my hand wouldn't have been so awkward."

She must have been blushing beet red, because it took her a moment to come up with a reply. "I know y- you never meant to, s- so please…"

"Says who?" He was absolutely sure he hadn't told her about recovering his memories of that day.

She waited until they rounded a corner into a smaller street, the sound of the river and trees replaced the buzz of people and children, he had to sit down to catch his breath. "W- When I went back to my father's house that day you gave it to me, it fell out of my pocket when I took off my blazer. Our housekeeper saw it." She waited until he nodded his understanding, more worried about the redness in his face from the short trip than his possible reaction. "S- She said it was her wedding ring from forty years ago, it slipped often because she lost weight, she said that she lost it last winter."

He huffed. "It fell in the snow…"

"Yes. I've kept it with me all that time not knowing, if I had just shown it to her then, maybe…"

If she did, she wouldn't have thought he was asking for her hand and wouldn't have bothered to keep him company at the hospital. Actually, he would be dead because she'd have no reason to keep him alive. "So all this time you knew and pretended that you didn't." He could hear nothing but branches scraping against each other and jingles of merchants on the other side of the river. "Why?"

"B- Because we're friends…?"

"Don't mistake friendship with pity." He snapped, "Would you have invited me to your place if you weren't moving out anyway? Would you take me, someone who couldn't see, to a blossom viewing party with your other friends? Forget that, would you even accept me as a team member on an A-Class mission?" He unclenched his teeth. "Excuses aren't reasons, princess. You can keep what happened yesterday to yourself but I know you consider me a failure. I don't know if you get kicks out of the hopeless cases or if you're just raised that way, after all, you clung around Naruto when he was a nobody; I've known all this time that I never liked you and kept it to myself because you made it easy for me to use you. It's not you having pity on me, princess, it's me using you when I could have had anyone else."

She let that sink in for a moment before slowly telling him, "I don't understand what you're asking me…"

"Hmph, nothing. Just finish your job and get me there." Sasuke sat up and reached out for her. For a moment his hand hung in the air without being accepted, it filled him with contempt even if she took his arm only moments later. It was dangerous to be dependent on someone else; any minute she can decide not to take his hand.

Physically and metaphorically.

Well it was his fault; he'd learned long ago that friendship to some people only extended to shopping and eating mandarins but put them on the grill once and they back off. When push comes to shove, only Naruto really accepts him for who he really is, no matter the words that came out of his mouth.

She took him to an apartment complex that smelled like clean rugs and buzzed with overhead lights. He sat on a couch and listened to her shuffle around, collecting the few things that needed packing, heat stirred in his gut but he bit down and willed his demons to shut the hell up.

It felt like this was farewell, he wasn't interested in sentimentalities especially to someone who never bothered to answer his preposterous accusations. It only proved he was right, didn't it?

They lived in the same city anyway, they hung around the same group of people and befriended the same boy; they will eventually meet again.

Despite him being a hundred percent sure of that, it felt like words were trying to leave his mouth, his brain had no idea what those words were but his lungs kept sucking in air to spit them out.

Thank you, he wanted to say, but he'd used her intentionally and shoved it in her face.

I'm sorry. Haha nope. He regretted none of it.

See you later…?

Take care?

The words that spilled out were a mile away from what he intended. "I'll pay you for the furniture when I visit the finance office tomorrow."

"It's okay." The words hung in the air uncertainly; was she telling him that she would accept his money, or that he shouldn't worry about it and thus not approach her again? "Goodbye, Sasuke san."

The stretch of time between her words and the click of the shutting door should have been long enough for him to formulate a response, but his pride stuck like a poisoned shuriken in the back of his throat; refusing to let through any words of gratitude or farewell.

_You'll see her again_, it told him, _don't rush into submission because you'll regret it later. It could only get better from now on._

That's right, he could only be his strong, confident self when he was absolutely alone, no bonds pulling him down.

But damn, it was hard to accept it when everything he had within arm's reach was her gift to him, no strings attached.


	14. Chapter 14

**My One In A Million**

Chapter Fourteen:

Why was it that a stubbed tow hurt more than a broken arm?

He could tell it was going to be a bad day the minute he woke up to find himself in a pink bed with pink pillows, everything was a blur when he slipped off the high mattress only to be reminded of the current condition of his back.

He must have slept in an awkward position for a very long time for it to feel this sore; like the base of his spine was a ball of needles that pricked the nerves of his legs with every move. His neck was stiff on one side, the tap in the bathroom coughed and gurgled without actually allowing him access to hot water and he had no idea how to use an electric stove to set up a kettle.

One of his eyes reacted to the light by setting everything on eternal flame while the other saw everything as a blur of colors. It was one thing to see really poorly and another to be completely blind, he decided to cover the aggressive one momentarily until he saw a doctor on his rehab session for today.

It felt like he was coming down with fever, too. His stomach whined it's emptiness and his arm complained the tiny strain he put on it to open the tea container.

"I need a slave." He said to the empty apartment, knowing that nobody was listening.

He was sure there was a machine to make tea being developed somewhere in the world, one that didn't require him to twist open heavy glass containers.

Alright, maybe he had underestimated the things the princess did for him. He didn't _need_ her per se, but if she was here she'd at least make him tea without laughing too openly about his weak wrist.

The shower did very little to help his condition, if anything, what little light he could see through his blurry eye was nearly extinguished with the shock of having cold water on his feverish skin.

It took half as long to get his clothes and sandals on, and thrice as long to get to the hospital because he would get really exhausted really often. Shizune was his designated doctor in Tsunade's absence and wasted no time with introductions. "Where's Hinata?"

"We're not attached at the hip." He snapped and eased himself into the chair in the examination room.

"You came here alone? You can see?"

"Well enough." Not really, he bumped into more than five things and his ankle was only starting to act up because he hit it on what felt like a sprinkler.

"That's progress." She pulled the skin under his eyes and flashed the light into them, then had to order another pen light because hers had caught fire. It annoyed him that medics had to touch him to figure out what was wrong, couldn't they at least warm their hands?

After looking at his ears, mouth, arms, legs, and listening to his heart; she decided he was fit enough for rehab.

Or so he thought; turns out he was only allowed stretches and ten minutes on the treadmill every day. He wondered if his thirty-minute walk to get to the hospital was put into account with the rest of the leg exercises. He compensated by spending every afternoon and evening stretching and meditating and eventually growing strong enough for warm ups and sit ups. Now that his chakra had returned to its rightful owner and was settling back in all the right places, he found himself recovering faster than the painfully slow first few weeks he spent blind at the hospital.

His muscles were recovering nicely, but everything irritated him to a ridiculous extent; the tape that held the square of gauze to his eye annoyed him, the flap of the jacket brushed against his neck at the wrong times and his hair had grown too long for comfort.

He hated how difficult his life had become by simply allowing himself the leisure of depending on another, somehow it had slipped his mind that hardships were what made him stronger. Now his vision began to clear as it adjusted to being used in new, harsher surroundings, allowing him to judge distances better and stub his toes less. He'd spent the night on the couch in the living room because the bed was too mushy and pink, his back didn't agree with the soft cushions but at least the living room was less bright as long as the ceiling lights were turned off. He didn't want to admit it, but he felt undeniably comfortable in the darkness.

Eventually he discovered candles in one of the kitchen drawers labeled with misleading pictures of flowers, cinnamon and a donut. Lighting them with the assumption that it was an advertising solution based on wax color was a new experience; they lit up just like any other candle and the illumination they offered was easier on the eyes which he appreciated. Slowly, it dawned on him that the purpose of the packaging was a forewarning that the whole apartment was going to smell like a bakery shop.

He wouldn't have cared because the smell of one's house tended to go unnoticed the longer one lived there, but just like every other sense he had his nose refused to let anything slip by unnoticed. A whole week now, and it's still as noticeable as the first minute he set foot in it. if the human body had a reset button somewhere, his would be right in the nose. The moment he opened the front door, the smell of flowers, cinnamon and _her_ was so overwhelming that he has to physically stop himself in the doorway and backtrack to whatever previous line of thought he had been pursing before being interrupted.

The clothes Hinata's friend got him were probably picked up by a homeless person where he dropped them in the dumpster, because the minute his kimono vendor finished adjusting his yukata to his liking, he wore very little else. The more his vision cleared the better he liked the embroidery on the back: a bold red and white Uchiha clan symbol.

Sometimes it felt like he was the only one in the village who wore traditional clothes anymore, it didn't matter as long as he didn't have to wear anything snug. If and when it started snowing he could always wear standard issue turtlenecks and pants.

Even in sleep he much preferred the traditional aspects of a bedroom: flat pillows, a blanket not too thick or not too thin, a firm futon which offered better support for the back on the floor where it wasn't too dangerous to roll over whenever he pleased.

Who needed five pillows, anyway?

He hated walking around the house in slippers, too. Being comfortable in his own place meant going barefoot, but since his floors were of polished wood while absolutely hating socks left him little to no choice. The doors were noisy and settled into being halfway open if left alone, which caused him to stub his toe on them almost every day. The windows were impossible to open without a sharp thundering sound ripping through his ears, the bathtub was too narrow for comfort and the ceiling lights buzzed noisily if he left them on for long.

Basically, accepting this apartment was a mistake.

He hated this place; he wanted to stay somewhere else, _anywhere_ else.

A whole week of waking up, going to rehab and then crashing back on the couch all day allowed him more time to eat and sleep, his body was improving but it was boring him to tears. There wasn't anything to watch on TV, nothing to amuse himself with but the wallpaper and old newspapers in the storage room. Even his voice was growing scratchy from lack of use.

So he walked. He let his feet take him wherever they wanted, to familiarize himself with the new neighborhoods and strengthen his flabby muscles. He'd walked up and down the village yet still not found a good enough apartment. They were always be too small, too big, too modern, too crowded, or sometimes just not to his taste. He had no idea what finding the 'right' place was supposed to feel like as he'd never seriously considered any place as a permanent residence. It wasn't _this_ hard to come to terms with his old, dirty apartment… Maybe because he always had Naruto to be with and spent minimum time thinking about it as a home. It served its purpose while it lasted; upon pulling the old complex down the rebuilding team had Inuzuka dogs scout the apartments for salvageable things –codename for enemy explosive seals- and they managed to extract some abandoned items. They'd found his stash of sealed scrolls and spare change, and handed it to him when he visited the Hokage tower to reactivate his finance deposit. His weapons and katana had gone into storage when he was admitted to the hospital were delivered safe and sound, he never thought he'd feel this glad to have them back when he did.

Tonight he allowed himself the time off to watch the last light of day disappear beyond the cloudy horizon, the view of the river below the bridge in the shopping district was refreshing as the last time he'd seen it was when it was still frozen solid. He had just finished a long jog when his back flared up and he had to support himself against the stone railing to give the pressure time to ease out. The bottle of water in his hand refused to finish as it tasted terrible. For some reason his body was being difficult with what he introduced to it, even water. It was unusual for water to taste much of anything but there was very little he could do about the sensitivity of his mouth as of late.

He'd tried changing the material of the cup and tried drinking from a different tap and even bought bottles of fresh-mountain-water from the store. Admittedly, he learned that water from the glass tasted slightly sharper than if he'd poured it into a plastic cup, and a metal cup reduced the temperature slightly than if it was a paper cup. Tap water tasted earthier than store-bought bottles, the one thing that never seemed to change was that they were all bitter in the back of his throat.

As if the overwhelming sensitivity of his mouth hadn't been enough, his nose got all worked up over a scent he couldn't locate.

Flowers.

Disgustingly sweet with a hint of sour fruit.

And then he saw her, her bright hair up in a ponytail with her arms full of bouquets and baskets overflowing with flowers.

Yamanaka Ino.

The moment his mind pinpointed her name and matched it with the visual image, a bittersweet cocktail of memories poured itself down his throat. She had been foolishly in love with him when he left –did she still love him?- she'd been small, curious and naive, always favoring him with chocolates at valentine's day disregarding the fact that he hated sweets. Her name brought forth images of her father probing painfully and persistently into his mind, trying to look into the secrets guarded in there; pain and humiliation went hand in hand whenever it was 'time to talk to Yamanaka' in intelligence. Pain was something he knew how to deal with, the things the old man touched upon can never be unseen and for that he despised him.

She was older now, her body matured into a figure fit for bearing healthy children and she knew it. The clothes she chose to wear hugged her breasts and hips snugly, the colors didn't match and there was dirt on the rolled up sleeves, but no man could look at her without noticing how beautifully she'd blossomed. The way she styled hair was boring, though, she parted it at the same angle without change since grade school. It spoke of a person who refused change and clung to a certain comfort zone no matter the circumstances.

At least Sakura and Hinata wear their hair differently from when they were schoolchildren.

Their eyes met and she smiled warily, unsure of how she should react to him staring at her.

His chest expanded with a quiet sigh, he didn't want to talk to her, but she had already made up her mind to opening her mouth and approaching with a firmer smile. "Good evening, Sasuke kun!" Her voice hiccupped at the very end, she hoped he hadn't noticed. "I'm glad to see you out and about again!"

"Mm." He didn't care about her fake sentiments; if she really cared she should have visited. "Still a slave to your parents, I see."

She glanced down at the flowers in her hands and laughed. "Aah! But now I get paid to do it, so it's fine! And having your parents as your boss has it's quirks." She winked, he rolled his eyes. "Hey, could you help me with these? They're getting kind of heavy."

He didn't want to help and considered refusing, but if he walked away now he'd go back to his boring apartment and have nothing to do for the rest of the night. It was good training to talk to someone with Jutsu geared towards mental abilities, right? If he's lucky, he could even copy a technique or two like he did her father's.

Sasuke reached for the basket and hauled it over his shoulder, expertly hiding how pain zipped down his leg at the sudden motion.

Let's see how much her mind matured since fifth grade. "You've gotten taller."

"I know right! I almost don't want to wear heels!" Almost instantly, Ino beamed and walked leisurely, as if she wasn't in a hurry to get the flowers to the shop anymore. "How's life been treating you?"

_It's just small talk_, he reminded himself, she's not really asking about how he's been. "All's fine."

"Great, I'm really glad you're okay now. So what did the doctors say? You know, I've heard bits and pieces but I don't know what really happened. Why did you go into a coma? What woke you wake up?"

He was suddenly irritated with his hair sticking to his forehead. "They don't know either." And he didn't want to talk about it with the town's gossip girl. "Did anyone die recently that I should know of?"

"Um, a lot died during the war. I don't know all of them. Oh, you mean recently?" Her voice went down a notch, "The rookies are all fine, if that's what you're asking." Not everyone was completely whole -or completely sane- but almost all of them survived. "I see."

"Some of them got engaged, though!" She giggled and brought up her hand to cover her mouth, not coincidentally, a glittering ring caught his eye on her ring finger. "Guess who?"

"I'm not interested."

"Aw come on, you'll never guess! Or are you jealous?" She bumped his shoulder jokingly.

He didn't like mind games of this sort; at least offer a hint or two! "I'm not interested in your personal life, Yamanaka."

She looked as if someone had slapped her on the face with a wet towel. "Oh, right, I forgot; you've got a mysterious image to protect. I know without you, the village would have been taken over by Madara, But you know you could at least put in some effort! I remember a time when you were the sweetest thing, accepted a girl's chocolates and listened to their confessions, even joined us on school trips once or twice. I actually had a crush on you for the longest time but I never actually said it." She stopped walking, he regarded her with an irritated expression. "I think I'm smart enough to understand that I probably fell for how cool you were back then, I mean… You never really talked about yourself to anyone, so why did I- _we_ like you so much?"

"You were idiots."

Her thin brows curved downwards, but the look in her eyes was guarded, as if she was still trying to figure him out. "Oh wow, here I am baring my soul out to you and you just joke about it!"

"Your crush wasn't exactly a secret."

"At least back then you were nice enough to let me pretend it was!"

"I'm not that boy anymore."

"Well, I liked him better! I cried my eyes out when they came up with the plan to treat you as a missing nin, do you know how hard it was for me and Sakura to come to terms with that! If I've known your heart had turned to stone by then…!"

He slowly put the basket down and breathed through the nose. "It's all about you, isn't it?" He smirked when she was startled. "If you really cared you wouldn't have let them go through with it in the first place. Couldn't you have thrown a tantrum like what you're doing now? Told them to find another way? Turn against the whole village for the one you love and all that romantic idealism?" She glared at the flowers in her arms. "Admit it. I was never important enough to fight for whether or not I was that boy you liked."

"I wasn't going to betray my family and friends for someone who left without even a goodbye!" the hurt was so plain in her eyes that he doubted she was still allowed to go on undercover missions. "It looks like I made a mistake interrupting whatever it is you were doing out here, so I'll leave you to it." She snatched the basket, hauled it over her shoulder as if it weighed nothing and flipped her hair as she turned away. "Have a nice day!"

"It's already night." He told her retreating figure.

"Have a great awesome wonderful night, then!"

"You ruined it when you talked to me." He called after her, enjoying his ability to put in so little effort but cause her so much anger.

"Then go cry in a corner!" She screamed as she stomped away, determined to have the last word.

Sasuke watched her leave, and rubbed the redness away from his palm where the threads of the basket dug into the skin. The small adrenaline rush cleared up some of the fog in his uncovered eye, he noticed the first star of the night glittering happily just over the mountain tops.

_Another bridge burned…_

What was he still doing in this village, exactly?

That water he drank must have gone bad or maybe it was wrong of him to skip dinner, because now his stomach was suffering a painful burn. It was time to buy a new dozen of rice pudding and maybe a packed dinner if there are any left.

Thankfully, a small store was only a few shops away so he stopped by. The packaged dinners shelf was completely empty, so he picked up some pudding, two rice balls and a large bottle of water.

The hair of the person before him in line danced with his sigh, the ends looked like they were recently trimmed. Suddenly, it hit him that this was hair that belonged to someone he knew well and had been trying to find.

He fought the urge to swallow. "Hyuuga."

First her shoulders squared, then her breath held and she turned her head to peek at him. Hinata blinked repeatedly when their eyes met and decided to nod politely before clearing her throat. "G- Good afternoon."

"Not really."

Her hair always managed to look clean and freshly-brushed, unlike her clothes which were ugly, to say the least. She was wearing gray pants as usual, chopped roughly below the knees allowing any observer to cotton-white legs that looked as squishy as a marshmallow. Her shoes were worn-out sandals that did nothing to add to her height, and her shirt might as well have been a potato sack; colorless and dull and hung limply over her arms like a wet carpet.

"How have you been?" She had to repeat it twice because the first time her voice was too quiet.

"Fine."

"R- Really? Are you eating well?"

"Well enough."

To his surprise, his usual answer didn't slip by unnoticed. "Just enough isn't good! Please take care of your body, its okay to eat more if you're recovering. It looks like the weather is getting colder so please stay warm as well. You're still covering your eye, is everything okay?"

"The light irritates it." He huffed, already annoyed that she was pretending everything was normal between them when she was the one carefully avoiding him. "I haven't paid you for the furniture yet." He told her, aware that if they skipped chitchat, she'd have nothing to say to him. He had little to do with her, too, but this was a matter of principle. He wasn't upset about not seeing her; he just wanted to pay for the furniture she'd left in his care. Why did she have to make it harder for him to find her and get things done?

It's not like this is the first time she dodged meeting him, she'd done it before and it was only natural that it happens again.

The person in front of her at the register finished so she hastily told him "Y- You can keep it." and busied herself with extracting items from her basket. Four packaged dinners, several bottles of juice and some unhealthy snacks.

The thin muscle just beneath his eye twitched; he was having a bad day -and night- as it is. Her buying all the food in the store wasn't helping. "Going to a party, I assume."

"J- Just me and the team!" She squeaked and looked at him like it was supposed to be a secret, as if he was going to do something dangerous if he knew.

Such as inviting himself to their party, or something. "Whatever, just work out your busy schedule to see me in the next few days. I'm not taking your charity."

"It- it's not charity! I- I also don't have room for foreign furniture in our house, so…" She paid the curious clerk and rushed to slip her items into a bag, then left with a curt nod.

Sasuke dropped his basket on the counter and stormed after her before the doors had a chance to swing shut. It was a mystery how her elbow came to be in his hand, but there it was, warm and boney against the pad of his thumb.

Her eyes were wide and glossy under the storefront lights, startled and maybe just a little alarmed. She winced at the anger in his voice; "Don't walk away until the conversation is finished." Why was he so angry? Why did she irritate him so much when all she did was look at him? "I don't care what you do with them, and I don't have much on me right now or I would have given you all I had right away. I'm not staying there for free."

"Y- You don't hav-" She never finished the sentence; instead she quietly released her breath and pressed her lips together to keep from saying any further, looking at the hand taking her elbow captive.

He let her go slowly, aware that if he continued to hold her any longer she would have to do something about it. "You're either giving them to me as a gift, which is strange since we're not friends; or you're throwing them away as garbage to insult me. So give me a good reason why you're not asking for anything in return."

Her stiff posture relaxed and unlike Ino who rose up to match his anger, Hinata looked at him with the saddest look in her eyes. Waiting for her to answer did strange things to his stomach, or maybe he was just hungry… Once she made up her mind about what to say, she said it with confidence. "We _are_ friends…"

No! He'd taken the option away from her, she was supposed to come up with something different! "I don't think so."

"I- I may not be one to you but- I really think of you as a friend."

"Just like your team? Like Inuzuka?" He scoffed.

She smiled. "Yes."

_Lies!_ "And you always avoid your friends like the plague?"

"I didn't avoid-… I- I was at home with Hanabi all week, this is first time I leave the house."

"And the academy? They offered you to work full time, didn't they?"

"I didn't go. My temporary contract already expired and… I think I'll decline."

"How did you know your team was getting together?"

She didn't know why he was interrogating her. "W- We always get together every weekend to help Kurenai san with babysitting." She anxiously searched his blank expression for a hint of why he was upset. "Did I do something wrong?"

The beasts in his chest raged at her watertight alibis; how could she say these things to him in a friendly tone when she was obviously trying to get away? He'd thought kindness and childish innocence were the first things to be broken once a person pursued the way of the ninja, so then why couldn't he find a hit of deceit in her voice or eyes?

Maybe there was a secret to the Byakugan that made it possible to convince even the most experienced interrogators…?

Ino was easier to understand because she was open about whatever she had on her mind, Hinata was a puzzle he hadn't figured how to solve yet, and it frustrated him. So much that if she was something he could physically grab, he would throw it to the ground just to study how the fitted pieces separated upon impact. "I could kill you in an instant without even touching you."

The lack of context startled her but didn't frighten her. "I know."

Quietly, the breeze brushed through her long hair and tugged on his sleeves, with it the promise of rain and a cold night. Hinata chose not to look at him, but chose not to walk away either.

What did the world look like through those bright eyes? Did she see an unstable lunatic who had to be put on a leash? A traitor plotting to destroy the village while the blood of his family dripped from his fingers? A social reject clinging to the only person who would talk to him?

He unclenched his jaw and spoke without showing how much effort he put into controlling his voice. "I'll just consider myself crashing at your place, then. I'll tell you when I move out."

Those eyes stared at him unblinkingly for a long moment, and then she acknowledged his statement without really giving away what she thought of him for saying it. "Okay." When it seemed like the conversation was over, she offered gently. "Do you want to join us? There will be a child and it- it's pretty laid back…"

He turned around and walked away without dignifying it with an answer. His fists clenched tight at his sides and a voice nagging in the back of his mind screamed at him that he was walking away from something important.

Nothing was more important than his sanity right now, if he let anger and frustration take over for just an instant, he would regret every word and action.

How dare she show pity for him when he was a hundred times stronger and smarter?

She'd never seen him in battle, that's why!

She underestimates his ability to snuff out human life without remorse!

God, how much he wanted to do it, to just let go and send his beasts and snakes and eagles free to wreak havoc through the town while he watched; he'd fantasized about it every day once upon a time. To have the council beg him to make them stop, to show everyone that he'd always had the option to destroy them, to rub it in everyone's face that he didn't need permission to be Uchiha Sasuke, the war hero.

Ahh~ To have great power but never the chance to use it was a dangerous game to play, he was wise enough to acknowledge it, and loyal enough to Naruto to not seriously consider abusing it.

The hidden villages knew he was strong enough to be considered a weapon in himself, Konoha had been tiptoeing around him with the hopes that he wasn't aware of it yet, he allowed them to keep thinking that, simply because he wasn't going to give anyone the pleasure of knowing what went on in his mind. If he laid a hand on a single villager –civilian or not- the whole ninja world would turn against each other. Not because of treaties and friendship ties with Konoha, but because every village was antsy in its seat for a chance to use the unemployed warriors growing restless within their walls.

Weapon makers needed fighters to buy their goods, training academies needed a reason to keep graduating Genin and Chuunin, exams were a good season for hotel bookings and restaurants with all the visiting Genin from other villages, it pulled in reasonable revenue. Cancelling the exams meant overstocked merchants, unemployed Chuunin members and a drought in the economy, so the villages avoided canceling and postponing as much as possible.

This world relied on war and warriors far too much; it was only a matter of time that a new conflict arose and the death grinder started all over again. Until then, he would prolong this peace for as long as he possibly could, hopefully then people will learn that being a shinobi wasn't the only occupation available.

No matter how angry he became he would push it down and wait it out; Naruto depended on him too much to be the starter of a war, it was a promise he would keep even if it meant he was bursting at the seams because of a certain naive Hyuuga princess.

Strangely, he wasn't losing his mind over the desire to murder her; what confused him the most was that he couldn't plan a solid way to do it in the first place. Everyone had died in his mind at least a dozen times, even his own father; why was it hard to visualize her be destroyed in the most basic of situations?

If his reluctance to work out a plan to end her had applied to all the other villagers he would have assumed that human life was starting to mean something again; but it didn't, it applied to no one else…

It's not surprising as she hadn't annoyed him to the point of actively planning her murder; she wasn't annoying or malicious, she didn't try to appeal to him for her own desires or offer him her services with a payment in mind. He'd given her several chances to use his name and fame for her own benefit and she refused, she didn't want to be his wife or his lover, she didn't even want to rule her clan let alone his. She didn't expect him to fall in love with her sister or save her from an overprotective father. She'd held knives, syringes, and scissors in his presence when he was at his weakest, yet her hands only offered him affection.

She said no when every other member of the council said yes.

She was dangerous…

If she ever betrayed him –and if he'd learned anything in life, she will- he would have a hard time eliminating her because he knew too much. To a shinobi with many enemies, hesitation was a deadly emotion to have.

Sasuke went to bed hungry that night, because when he got home he realized that the nagging voice had been trying to remind him that he never took home his groceries. It didn't matter then but come morning; his stomach couldn't even handle a cup of green tea for breakfast.


	15. Chapter 15

**foreword**: all I have are excuses, and excuses aren't reasons. So I will not write a long paragraph on why this took a year+ to update. I humbly apologize and hope this chapter and the next ones make up for it.

* * *

**My One In A Million**

Chapter Fifteen:

Three frightened Genin teams, four hours and a field later, Sasuke felt like he was _finally_ done with his workout for the day.

It would be winter soon, so says the scent in the wind, the temperature was dropping gradually too. He didn't mind the rainy season, what he hated was the snowy days where everything was as dead as night and cold as stone.

His body recovered remarkably fast, only a few weeks out of the hospital and he was already capable of summoning Susanoo, completely control amaterasu and even attempt the more advanced techniques he'd learned after obtaining Itachi's eyes.

The only downside was the splitting headache that hit him mercilessly afterwards, and the painful stab of pain at the base of his spine if he pushed his body too hard.

The sun was dipping into the horizon, signaling the end of the day, but his work wasn't quite over.

Without bothering with the excitement on the streets –the villagers always found a reason or another to celebrate and get drunk- he pushed through the crowds and headed towards the Hokage tower. What was once the rebuilding committee hallway just to the left of the tower double doors, what had been busy with men and women arranging materials and ordering supplies, was now a deserted storage area. To him it was only a few weeks ago that he walked through here with Naruto by his side, but in reality, it had been months since the last time anyone's ever set foot here.

It was troublesome that he had to request missions in person since he refused to be put on the list of available ninja for hire. Maybe he should just file a request for an actual job at the employment office two floors up instead of taking random assignments every few days.

…Nah.

Naruto couldn't stay away from the village any longer, he must have received news of his recovery and will be here soon, he would leave the minute the blonde returned, a regular job would just hold him back.

The woman on the desk today was visually familiar but he couldn't be bothered to remember her name.

She didn't look too concerned about people seeing through her mesh shirt at the big breasts underneath. "You're not fit for missions, kiddo, come back when you're cleared from rehab." She dropped his file to the table and plucked out a bamboo skewer from her mouth, unaware of having dumpling glaze dribbling down her chin. "Unless you want a position with agriculture, topless and bent over a haystack…?" She grinned at his unimpressed expression. "Well, what else do you want me to suggest? I don't have battle missions fit for your current abilities… Actually besides the fact that you're the only other pupil Orochimaru ever trained, I know nothing about you." Her grin spread wider when he was too interested to change the subject but too skeptical of her to ask about it. She pulled at the collar of her shirt, offering him her white neck. "I'll show you my curse seal if you show me yours."

Ah, now he remembered her name. Mitarashi Anko. No wonder he kept thinking of colorful dumplings the minute he walked in, not that there was an empty cup of tea and traces of syrup on the desk or anything. "Unless you're interested in a snake gallery or have someone who needs to be tortured to death in illusion, this conversation is over."

As if her 'work' button was pushed, she schooled her face into a professional expression and pretended to shuffle through the papers on her desk. "Well, there are always openings for Academy teachers-"

"No."

She never missed a beat, and moved on to the next scroll. "Chuunin exam proctor, position: Intimidator." At his silent contemplation, she explained, "You use the power of intimidation and maybe some harmless jutsu to sift out the softies before they go into the forest of death." With a grunt, she hauled her plaster-coated leg over the table for him to see. "I'd take it up myself, but a beautiful boa constrictor thought it'd be funny to turn my shin into puree, so someone else has to fill in this year."

If possible, he'd rather have something that required minimum to no contact with snotty, sniveling children thinking they were tough guys. "Anything else?"

Her mouth curved up at the sound of his defeat. "The Yamanaka flower shop put up a wanted ad for a part time worker because their daughter is getting married." His eyes narrowed at the mere mention of the name, so she gave him a nudge. "Wrapping up bouquets is good finger rehab if you ask me."

He shifted his weight impatiently. "When do the exams start?"

She laughed. "In four days. You're not allowed to actually kill anyone, you know."

"Unfortunately."

X x x x

The exam day, he was decked out to be as intimidating as possible. Of course, he was Uchiha Sasuke, he could be in his underwear and kids will still be intimidated. They made the mistake of giving him the chance to go all-out to mentally scar someone and he would make damn sure to use it to the fullest.

His kimono was bland and dark at the front, but the minute he turned around and the kids saw the bold emblem of the Uchiha clan, hah! Some kid actually peed his pants.

He thought it'd be amusing to wrap his hands in gauze as if he was ready for a fight but it turned out to be too much work considering how short his role was. a jingling pouch of weapons hung idly by his side out of his obi. His trusted sword pressed snugly against his lower back even when he doubted he'd get a chance to draw it.

The patch on his eye was probably what disturbed the kids the most; ironically, it was the only accessory he actually needed.

Now that his left eye was in top condition, he could see in the mirror that his hair had grown a few gray patches, Shizune told him it was temporary because of the stress his body had gone through, but how long did 'temporary' last? He'd been out of the hospital for more than a month now and they're still there, aesthetics were never important enough for him to try to change it. It stopped bothering him when he realized that he'd been having a hard time getting any decent sleep lately, testimony of the dark circles around his eyes. Maybe the gray hairs would disappear once he was tired enough to catch himself a dreamless hour or two.

His scanned the few teams in the clearing outside the entrance to the forbidden forest for the last time, whenever he looked a Genin in the eye they'd jump and look away except for that one teenager who held his gaze steadily. The boy's face was vaguely familiar but he couldn't pinpoint where he'd seen him exactly. Maybe he'd murdered his family or crushed his home during the war, who knew. Faces and names meant nearly nothing to him nowadays.

At least this boy wasn't too afraid to look at him, maybe this village could produce a fighter with a backbone after all.

A team of Genin approached the clearing with the intention to waltz through as if he wasn't there, he turned his back to the groups in time to catch an Anbu member hidden in the trees give the OK, that was all of the candidates.

They stood there mumbling to each other for the longest moment until he turned to them with an annoyed sneer. "What do you want?"

"W- We passed the written test." One of the two boys said, his eyes were defiant but his posture was nervous.

Sasuke allowed himself to be amused. "Good for you. If you think you're good enough, go ahead and join the others."

It was thrilling how his words were simple and innocent but somehow convinced the kids to not take his word at face value. Just by being spoken by Uchiha Sasuke, all words turned into a threat.

"Just like that?"

"Unless you don't trust me with your back?" He let his arms hang idly by his side; his palm was comfortably close to his kunai pouch. The girl whimpered and hid behind one of the boys. "You'd better go to mommy if you're scared."

"We're not scared. Come on." The team followed the courageous member and joined the others in the clearing. Everyone released a collective sigh of relief as they thought the test was passed once they were allowed through, unaware that the actual test was just about to begin.

A small eagle soared over their heads, drawing the attention of the anxious Genin who have been waiting a whole hour for the gates of the forest to open, the wind from it's wings grazed their heads then landed on his shoulder with a low screech. In that moment when everyone's eyes were on his, the sky melted into a dull gray haze and the ground beneath them shook with what felt like a minor earthquake.

Snakes of every color and size burst out of the ground and landed like rain over the children who were not prepared for battle. Chaos took over in no time, screaming, random names of Jutsu and cries of fright filled the air. Some children were bitten in the neck and lay drowning in their own blood, others lost a limb or two, some kids watched in horror a giant snake swallow their teammates one after the other. The forest caught fire and surrounded them from all sides, no escape. A giant monster of smoke towered over them with a sword rising high above his head as he gained momentum to crush them like ants, in it's mouth the screams of a thousand anguished souls.

And then it was over.

The teams found themselves in the same spot they had been before the frightening vision happened, safe and silent and in a sunny field surrounded with pleasant greenery. In a parody of the chaos that had been in their minds, the adrenaline rush caused a kid to run out of the clearing screaming that the crazy psychopath was going to kill them for real if they stayed; it spread panic to the others and several teams found themselves running away as fast as they could.

The ones that remained made up seven teams in total; despite being noticeably shaky and traumatized, they stood their ground and kept their bodies tense for battle. Sasuke wasn't a fan of odd numbers, but it only meant things will be interesting when it was time for one-on-one battle in the arena.

Overall, he considered it a job well done.

Once the gates to the forest were open and the competitors disappeared into the greenery, he made his way to the building at the very center where the teams will eventually congregate, then pushed his way through the doors to the teachers' lounge.

The room was full of Jounin and instructors chatting over tea as they waited for the teams to find their way here. Some Anbu members stood at attention at doorways and windows in case of an emergency. As a Genin, he never thought the adults in charge of the process would be so relaxed. Going through his own exam was a stressful and dangerous experience. Having been interrupted by Orochimaru, receiving a seal in the neck and then their team getting attacked by sound nin of a higher level. To learn that they'd gone through all that danger while the teachers were having tea and cake disgusted him.

His eyes instinctively landed on familiar faces, Iruka, Naruto's younger friend- what was his name… Konohamaru?- and Hyuuga Hanabi. She didn't notice him at first as she was too busy with what seemed to be a gripping conversation with the third Hokage's grandson; the silence that filled the room at his entry alarmed everyone to his presence and he noticed that she was pointedly not looking at him.

Conversation flourished back to full volume when he turned away and let the doors swing shut behind him. there was very little he could do to the exam takers at the moment, but standing around and commenting about the weather when someone out there could be bleeding to death wasn't an answer.

Besides, if there was something he hated more than girls fawning over him, it's small talk.

Their tea must taste awful, anyway.

Thankfully, if there was one thing he could trust about the village it would be that there are vending machines everywhere.

He punched the button to order himself a bottle of hot green tea and leaned against as he sipped his drink.

Halfway through his drink, the teacher's lounge doors pushed open to let out a small figure and the closer it approached under the buzzing lights the shorter he noticed it was; Hanabi. Only a few months of age separated her from Sarutobi's grandson, unofficially granting her the title of youngest Chuunin on the force.

Or at least that's what he read in an old magazine Hinata had stacked in the storage room, along with several other outdated publications that featured news about any Hyuuga member.

Hanabi approached with her head held high and her back straight. She didn't have to say anything for him to understand that she absolutely hated his guts. "Thank you for your hard work."

He just nodded, not in the mood for fake pleasantries.

Edgy, she huffed and fished into the pocket of her jacket for a coin to slip into the slot, and shot him a wary glance before retrieving a bottle of banana milk from the chilled drinks machine. "So how're you?"

"Fine."

"What's with your eye?"

He regarded her for a moment, aware of the effect of his silence on her nerves. "Wearing it frightens them."

"Oh." She drank her milk slowly, looking at everything but his face. "So how many of them passed?"

"Seven. Four teams from the leaf. And one each from The Sand, The Cloud, and The Lightening."

She nodded her understanding.

"You're up and working already; merciless system or you were just too bored to stay in bed?"

"I recover fast." She tossed her head back to get the last of her milk then chucked the bottle into the waste basket a few feet away. Finally, she found the courage to state what she really came here for. "Listen… Thanks for helping me when you did… You know, at the hospital and all that."

He didn't like her attitude. "Careful not to bow too quickly, you might hit your head on the floor."

Just as her name implied, she instantly flared up like a firecracker. "I'm thankful to you but I'm not happy about owing you! I think you're the worst person to ever walk this earth, you know! Now that I know what's inside your head I'm surprised I'm letting myself talk to you!"

"So walk away."

"I will, but I want to say everything now, because I don't want to have to talk to you again!" her eyes were fierce and in her anger, the veins around her eyes threatened to fill up. "Thank you, Uchiha, for saving my life. I'll do whatever I can to repay you as long as you don't ask for something ridiculous. But that's it, I'm not loyal to you or think you're a person worthy of my time, you don't even deserve to be called human." He just watched with a blank expression and sipped his tea. She could have been talking about the weather and he'd be just as interested. "I couldn't believe it until I saw it with my own eyes, they really did let you near the Genin teams! Allowed you to attack them, no less; you, someone who wouldn't think twice about killing your own family. Hmph, ridiculous."

"Are you done?" He asked calmly, "Your voice is annoying."

"I'm done." She huffed again, relieved. "Also, word is still around that you're engaged to my sister. Do something about it."

"It's not my problem, tell her that yourself." He motioned with his chin for her to look back.

Two Anbu, a team of Genin and Hyuuga Hinata were the first to walk through the open doors. He couldn't help but be slightly surprised that she was participating in the exams, she clearly told him she declined the offer of work at the academy, yet she is here. Maybe she signed up for the mission without being directly employed at the academy just like he did, but why?

She crossed his mind lesser and lesser lately, which was good. He'd caught himself thinking about her too many times a day at some point, damn her for being a confusing puzzle.

She looked different now that she was wearing a standard issue Jounin jacket over a long-sleeved shirt, pitch-black pants and dark gloves. Her mouth remained straight but her eyes smiled when she noticed him and Hanabi, but had to push through the first door in the corridor towards the emergency room to deliver the unconscious child in her arms. The masked members of the special forces turned on their heel and went back outside without a word.

"Whoa, you guys are quick!" Hanabi's tone changed drastically from enemy to homeroom teacher, she seemed to know the two members who have been escorted in. "How'd you find your way here without interruptions?"

"Our team mate got hurt the minute we went into the trees, so the medics took her to the emergency wing. We just followed them when they weren't looking." The same boy who met his gaze unwaveringly in the clearing stood there, grinning. His attitude reminded him of a younger Naruto. "Pretty smart, huh?"

"You were always a rascal." Hanabi shook her head in dismay. "Well, smart or not, you made it. Go straight ahead and then turn left at the first corridor for the waiting area. Rest up, believe me you'll need it for the single battles."

"Have I seen you before?" He asked the boy suddenly, all eyes were on him.

The boy wasn't afraid to turn to him and bow respectfully. "Yes, I and my sister Ami owe you our lives."

Ami… Ami… He'd heard that name before but it didn't belong to someone important. Strangely, it reminded him of the sensation of being hugged from behind and having cold water in his face.

"How'd that ever happen?" Hanabi narrowed her eyes at the two boys. "I can't imagine this guy helping anyone but himself."

"When the old ninja academy was on fire." The boy said as if it was a tragic event that everyone should remember vividly. "He rode on this giant eagle and picked us up from the window, he even carried her to safety himself. You remember it right, Hanabi-sensei? I saw him catch you when the building collapsed and you jumped out the window!"

Hanabi paled noticeably, but nodded her understanding.

Hinata exited the medical wing and approached them with a small smile. "Hello, is anyone else injured?"

"No, we're both fine." The boy said.

"Too fine." Sasuke noted, and said nothing when the boy grinned knowingly. Was this their plan to begin with? Momentarily Sacrifice a team mate for the other two to reach the tower safely? Hm, he'd give them extra points for teamwork if his opinion mattered.

When the two Genin boys excused themselves and headed towards their designated area, Hanabi turned her attention to him and worked her jaw without actually saying anything.

Just to annoy her, he turned to the more interesting Hyuuga. "So you're with the medics?"

She jumped. "Y- Yes. We comb the forest for any injured Genin and help them."

"There wasn't something like that in our time."

She smiled, "Sakura chan suggested it a few years ago, it was the first thing she did when they put her in charge of the medical teams for the exams."

So the sappy Haruno was good for _some_thing after all. "Hm…"

"How have you been lately?" he imagined her voice had gone softer just a touch. "You're still covering your eye."

"It's just more intimidating this way."

"Does it still bleed?" was what she said, what he heard was 'If you say so, even though I'm sure it's not the whole truth.'

"Only in bright light." It amazed him how naturally she could strike up conversation even after having parted on bad terms. Was her life so eventful that she forgot what went on between them the last time they spoke?

"I hope you feel better soon."

"Mm." Or maybe it was his life that wasn't eventful enough to be distracting. He focused too much on the details of his interactions with people, maybe this was the natural way of coexisting between normal people; pretending that everything was fine as long as others were looking.

The sulking Hanabi looked to and fro between them, as if the conversation was too hard for her to understand. Sasuke saw this, and decided to be unusually nice to Hinata just to fish out a reaction. A little part of him wanted to hurt the little brat, too, for still remembering images he considered private. "Want anything to drink, princess?"

Hinata was already flushed from the effort of carrying an injured kid across the forest, but blushed redder at the sudden offer. "Eh? Really? Um, but I have to go back right now."

"That's why they serve them in bottles."

The back of her hand touched her lips as if to hold back a laugh. "Um… Okay, is there something warm?"

He shook the bottle in his hand, still half full. "This green tea isn't too bad."

"I'll have that, then. Thank you for your generosity!"

He offered his drink to her.

"Huh!? That's- that's yours! Oh no, is it the last one?! Then, never mind I don't need anything!"

He smirked, caught the fuming glare of a certain teenager, and casually slipped a coin into the slot to order Hinata a fresh bottle of hot green tea. She accepted it with flustered gratitude and excused herself on the pretense that she had to go back to the field in case someone else was injured.

In the silence that followed the last few minutes of sound and motion, Hanabi finally muttered her thoughts. "I think I convinced myself that the day the academy burned down was a figment of my imagination, because of how horrible I discovered you really were." It almost sounded like she was continuing a conversation that had never started. "I deduced, after being drowned for months in you, that you're nothing but a heartless opportunist… But that really did happen, huh? You really _did_ save me."

She sighed at his guarded expression and brushed back her hair in frustration. "It always confused me why I had a crush on you back then. I mean, you've never been nice to anyone before, not even to your own friend; so why did I think you were good enough to like? You weren't funny or thoughtful or even noticed the others around you." The faintest scent of flowers lingered in the air between them while she looked at everything but his eyes. "But with her, you're different… I know all about you, but I'm seeing a proper human being capable of proper human conversation. It pisses me off, but I don't have to do anything about it even if you liked her to bits." Their eyes met for a long, tense moment, and then she grinned. "Because she loves only Naruto, did you know that? You don't stand a chance."

"Your logic has as many gaps as a fishing net." He quipped and pushed away from the vending machine to drop the bottle into the waste bin; it hit the bottom with a heavy thud as it was still half full. "You're a fool if you think you know anything about me, an even bigger one if you thought the great Uchiha would consider anyone as anything but temporary amusement."

His feet took him to that familiar hallway that led to the indoor arena with leisure, but his mind was zooming at lightning speed through everything he knew about life, recalculating everything.

Uchiha Sasuke, liking a girl?

Girls were ridiculous creatures; he'd established that fact a long time ago. They were weak, shallow, unreliable and emotionally unstable. They were always devious, plotting foxes chasing their own desires. Whether it was his money or his fame or his body, he never trusted a woman with any of them.

The only reason he would seriously consider a long term relationship with a female was if she was designated to providing him with children, to reach that point she'd have to be his wife and to be granted that status a girl had to pass through a list of nearly-impossible standards. Actually liking said wife wasn't even on his list of things-a-girl-should-have-to-qualify, so why would he waste time and energy liking a girl if he didn't need her to bear children?

What was it like to love someone in _that_ manner, anyway? He wasn't one to hand out flowers or buy expensive chocolates, or like Naruto; humiliate himself in front of the girl to gain her affections. He'd never craved anyone's affections and if the thought ever crossed his mind in a moment of weakness, he could now crush it right away because he didn't need anyone.

People were fickle beings that could change their mind like the pendulum of a clock; one minute they're all over him, blushing while they offered promises of undying love, the next a woman is too insulted by his rejection that she wouldn't look him in the eye and in some cases, like a certain redhead with glasses, turn against him completely.

Sakura had shown a tendency to be indecisive, too, before she settled to liking only Naruto. It was confusing and unreliable, and the more women he met the more frequently he was reminded of it. If he was going to allow himself to rely on someone's affections, he should at least choose someone who was consistent and trusted to be there forever, like a mother or a daughter, someone who was hard-wired to put him first and foremost. Wives cheated, lovers broke up and mistresses always asked for a price.

Besides, to actually put himself in a position where he _needed_ someone was a stretch; who would want to be at a disadvantage when they had the option to not rely on anyone at all?

Also, when –and if- that ever happened, such as with his unfortunate blond friend; why should the boy jump through so many hoops just to convince the girl that he liked her?

Why couldn't she just take his word for it?

Having to buy her expensive chocolates on Valentine's Day, flowers and a card when they're too far away to meet, confessing his love to her over and over on any and all occasions. Apologizing when he wasn't wrong, taking the blame for something he didn't do, and having to put up with monthly mood swings… Not only Naruto, he'd heard enough stories about couples breaking apart because the boy wasn't vocal enough about his feelings or the girl was too insecure.

Bah.

If the boy liked her, it should be obvious through actions and actions should be enough; if he didn't then he doesn't, and there's no helping it. Same with the girl: If two people can't reach a mutual understanding, then there's no use wasting time hoping a dud-explosive seal would work.

With that in mind… What did his actions say about Hyuuga Hinata?

He liked her smell, he hated her tendency to apologize without fully understanding her mistake. He liked that she didn't think of him as a crazy psycho but never really doubted his ability to kill someone if he wanted to. He hated how easily influenced she was, and the way she would stop talking when explaining something would take too long, but she understood his need for silence and personal space. He loved the feeling of holding her in his arms, and hated having known it. He liked how she took good care of her hair and nails, but hated the way she neglected common taste in her clothes. She was a so-so nurse, a good conversation partner and generous to her friends, but she would probably be worthless in an actual battle with those fragile limbs, she would take forever to understand sarcasm with that innocent mind and is more likely to switch sides the minute he hurt her loved ones.

Every time he found something he liked about her, his mind would shoot it down with something he didn't like. He was playing frigging badminton with his common sense, and it irritated him that he couldn't end it with one decisive hit.

It looks like it's no longer something he could put aside and hope it disappears of its own accord, it's been gnawing at him for a while now and the less he saw of her the more it occupied his mind. now Hanabi made sure that he'd never let it go, not when she'd gone and said it out loud. It was one of those things that bothered him until he reached a final conclusion, like that time he wanted to know his brother's whole story, and that idea Suigetsu planted in his head that Karen was actually a gay man who had a butler fetish, and the short-lived curiosity about how Tsunade looked like without the illusion she wore every day.

Did he like Hyuuga Hinata?

Did he not like Hyuuga Hinata?

A more thorough investigation was in order, it seems, and if he knew himself at all, he would sinfully enjoy every minute of the process of pursuing something –no matter how mundane- even if all he would find in the end is disappointment.

That, or an inconvenient attachment to a girl who was only interested in his best friend…


	16. Chapter 16

**My One In A Million**

Chapter sixteen

Ten points off Hyuuga Hinata.

Sasuke decided on his way from rehab, legs sore and head aching, that if the Hyuuga was stupid enough to accept a mission to help someone's cat then she deserved the dropped points.

So what if nobody else was willing to help, the world was overpopulated with cats anyway.

At her level, it was a disgrace to accept such lowly-ranked a mission, she should have at least gone with the request to deliver seeds from the land of Tea to the hidden village of flowers…

Girls liked flowers, didn't they?

Or maybe just seven points, it was a good thing she wasn't obsessive about girly stuff.

He stood by the sidewalk and observed the comedy theatre unfolding before him, the old lady trying to coax the fat cat off the branch, Hinata stealthily walking up the tree from behind to grab it.

It was hilarious.

She should just use a jutsu and get it over with, it's what the lady was paying for. If anything, a firm kick to the whole structure would make it unstable and drop the thing off in no time; he'd done it once a long time ago, and back then he was just six years old.

The hairball squirmed and growled but remained still in the hands of its captor until it was back on the ground. It wasn't even that high, the darn thing could've jumped right down if it hadn't been so heavy in the belly.

Oh, it was pregnant.

Hn…

His hip flared suddenly, sending distress signals that he needed to sit down as soon as possible if he didn't want his whole leg to go numb; he decided to continue on his way and not bother with whatever it is the old lady was telling her hero.

He didn't care about lady talk anyway.

The bench a few paces down the road was hard but at least it wasn't drenched from the sudden drizzle that came and went all day, the umbrella overhead was brand new, another part of the village rebuilt.

The cat hero found him as she went down the same street, he tried not to roll his eyes too obviously. "Sasuke kun!" Hinata smiled and bowed politely, her cheeks were pink and she seemed to be breathing harder than necessary. Did that woman chase her away? "Good afternoon, how have you been?"

"Fine. Did you just let that old lady kick you off her property?"

Her laugh was breathless and somewhat strained, she took a seat next to him and arranged her hair with cold fingertips. "No, not at all. I was just… Well, I thought I saw you coming down this road and I um… Followed you."

She had nice hair, he wouldn't mind putting his fingers through it.

Mmmh… Five points.

"And how are you, really?" There was a scratch on her forefinger, she plucked a white hair out of her lips.

"I said I was fine." Five points off.

"Really? You look better but are you sleeping well? You're still covering your eye."

He didn't like it when someone pried into his business, five points off. "And what about you? Don't they have new Chuunin members now? You should sign up for Jounin evaluation."

"I- I am a Jounin…?" she wasn't sure if he was serious or just testing her, "Everyone who participated in the war got upped a rank, even those who lost their lives."

He did not know that.

It would cost twenty-five points off Konoha Council, except they were already running on a minus scale.

"But I guess Sasuke kun isn't even on level with a Jounen, huh?" She picked imaginary dirt from under her fingernails, unaware of the insulted face he pulled. "You're legendary now, aren't you. You and Naruto kun. _The YinYang Hokages_, they called you… Except you didn't aim for that position so I guess the name didn't stick."

This was valuable information, so the people of the villages acknowledged his power and appreciated his alliance… They were terrible at showing it.

"No wonder I was crowd surfing right after, the welcoming party was outrageous." He grumbled, sarcasm was the only option now.

"Well, everyone was intimidated by you, maybe."

He fixed her with a calculating gaze, noting exactly at what angle her back was before she straightened and how subtle the scent of flowers radiated off her skin. "And you aren't?"

"Not- Not really… A little, at first. But you know? Naruto kun was okay with it, and you were helping rebuild the village, so…"

He scoffed, "So now I'm not frightening anymore?"

"You are! A team from the Chuunin exam still visits the hospital for therapy."

Those weenies. "Are _you_ afraid of me?"

He'd give her points just because she honored him with adequate consideration before answering. "I'm told to be, but I'm not. We're friends, aren't we?"

Not sure if plus points of minus points. "You still owe me a bottle of tea."

With a surprised rounding of the mouth she hopped off the bench and walked away.

Did she-

Did she just end a conversation with him?

For a bottle of tasteless tea?

That little greedy-!

Fifty points off Hyuuga Hinata!

With a grunt, he pushed himself off the bench and rolled his heels to relieve the blood that was pooling into his feet, and begrudgingly made the trek back to his disgusting apartment.

Just around the corner was one Hyuuga Hinata straightening up from a particularly inappropriate bend, she'd been retrieving a beverage from the basket at the bottom of a vending machine. "Ah! You didn't have to follow! Sorry I thought it was closer, they must have moved it so it's under this umbrella."

He glanced up at the foil shield from the rain, and then down at the flushed girl. "I thought you went home."

"Eh? No! I'd never leave you like that!" She laughed, it was more like silent reluctant coughing. "Here you go, the tea was out, and I know you don't like too sweet things so this is umm… Dark unsweetened coffee with smooth chocolate and a hint of vanilla." She read across the round container, then handed it to him.

It was warm. "What did you get?"

She grinned down at her purchase, still unopened. "Strawberry and peach milk."

His disgusted reaction amused her enough to break a smile, she had straight teeth and kissable lips. Those plump cheeks weren't too bad, either, even if he only wanted to pinch them because of the stunt she just pulled.

She was planning to come back, though…

Alright, fine, six points to Hyuuga Hinata.

She'll have to do better than that if she wanted to recover the fifty ones she'd lost just now.

Hinata took a sip from her chilled drink, he took a sip of his own; a collective sigh of appreciation was breathed out at the same time. She turned her attention to the busy street, noting the new businesses that had opened up and the street vendors that were setting up their stands in preparation for the night traffic. She didn't ask anything, she didn't even look at him with expectation.

He waited for her to grow impatient with the lack of conversation, but just like those quiet days in his hospital room, she was at peace with silence.

It was… Different.

Nice.

At least until her friends showed up.

The loud Inuzuka was hard to miss, strolling through the evening crowd on that giant dog, he noticed them first and bound over with a wide grin aimed at the surprised girl. Aburame showed up as if out of thin air.

Did members of the Aburame clan materialize by stacking up beetles in the shape of a human and then infusing their soul into the body?

"Kiba kun! Shino kun! Akamaru tan!" she rubbed noses with the happy dog, ignorant of the fact that it could open its mouth and swallow her head. "How have you been?"

"Great! And you?"

"I'm ok! Welcome back, how was the mission?"

Sasuke watched the interaction with a scowl. Did she ask everyone so sincerely? Hmph, some points off, not sure exactly how many. Those guys were sure friendly in their conversation with her, was she always this sociable with other boys? "See ya, princess."

"Eh? Where are you going?"

"Unlike you who have time to waste, I've got things to do." Not really, he was in for a night of boredom and headaches.

"Join us for a treat." Kiba asked and hopped off the dog. "I know we're not exactly chummy, but you know… Can't hurt to knock back a shot or two. You don't have anyone else to drink with, do ya?"

"Are you showing _sympathy_ for me, Inuzuka?!" His body surged forward at the boy, aiming to grab his shirtfront and show him exactly where he can put his sympathies. A firm hand stood between him and his target, landing on that tender spot right in the center of his chest. The pain that shot straight to his heart had very little to do with the physical touch; she could have killed him, she was a Hyuuga and she could have killed him with those carefully manicured fingers.

"Please, it's nnot like that!"

"Whatever." He pushed her wrist away and angled himself to leave, his body language was neutral but everyone could feel the anger bouncing off him like electricity. "Thanks for the coffee We're even now."

"Sasuke kun wait! Please! I was- I asked them to invite you if they went for drinks, please don't misunderstand!"

His hot glare zeroed in on her, the container in his hand threatened to collapse under the pressure of his iron grip. "Why?"

"Because we're friends?" Her breath smelled so sweet it nearly brought tears to his eyes, he decided he didn't like it.

"Not with them I'm not."

Kiba clucked his tongue and scratched his hair in irritation, this wasn't worth it. "Tch! See, I told you he was still a tightwad! I'll go first to grab us a table, do what you want, man, I don't care. Akamaru, come."

The dog and it's master paddled away, tail tucked between the legs. The quiet Shino remained stationary, he observed for a few seconds more before finally speaking his mind. "I do not mean to threaten you, Uchiha san, but if you bother Hinata in any way I will make sure you pay for it." And then followed in the same direction. A sliver of his chakra lingered, whether it was an insect or a piece of his soul was yet to be determined.

The Uchiha exhaled the anger slowly and stuffed the half-empty coffee into the trash bin, it dropped with a bang. "That is a threat, though."

Hinata's heart was having a hard time dealing with what just happened –or what could have happened! "I'm sorry, they're not usually like this…"

"Whatever, it's not my business who you associate with." His ankle hurt when he turned to walk away, he couldn't wait to be in a hot bath to unwind the rest of his aching muscles.

He wanted a back rub…

"Huh? You're really not coming?"

He let her figure out the answer by walking away and not saying anything. Maybe she was a dumb bimbo after all, maybe she thought she could lose him a crowd of her own friends and then she wouldn't have to keep personal tabs on him.

Or maybe someone told her to keep an eye on him from the higher ups.

Another fifty points off Hyuuga Hinata.

He hadn't decided yet how many points she could spare before he scrapped her name off a very short list, and by the time he was at home, soaking his sore limbs in hot water, he decided she'd already exceeded the minimum required points to qualify.

Qualify…

Qualify for what, exactly?

Wife, lover, potential girlfriend?

Interesting puzzle?

Enemy?

Whatever it was, he wanted it out of his mind as soon as possible. Even if the outcome was different, what good would a crush on someone do, anyway?

No, he didn't have time for useless relationships.

He had to get back in shape, get out of this town, and find a better place for him to live. Somewhere quiet and secluded, where the warriors didn't treat him like a ticking time bomb and the girls didn't look at him like an unfashionable dress on a hanger.

She didn't look at him like that…

No, stop it!

Her case is closed!

That girl must have been nice to him because he was injured, anyway; a lot of girls got their kicks by tending to handicapped patients and feeling needed. Now that he was able to take care of himself she barely talked to him.

Well, to be fair, he never gave any indication that he wanted to be talked to. He went from home to rehab and from rehab to home, occasionally getting things from the supermarket in the middle of the night.

Okay maybe she didn't get any chances to talk to him, basically…

Why was he back to thinking about this?

It's.

Over.

There were others, the world was vast and mostly unexplored, he'd only seen the thin strip of land around the fire country, who is to say the right girl for him wasn't in a land where there's no such thing as shinobi?

He's young and rich, he could find a wife almost anywhere.

Wait, why was he looking for a wife? He wasn't ready for that kind of stifling commitment.

Maybe in ten years or so, if he was still alive…

Hn… maybe it was high time he packed his stuff and left, to a different land, to different people, see the world he'd worked so hard to protect before his youth was gone.

Find other things to occupy his mind.

The unfamiliar sound of the doorbell startled him from a light nap in the tub, he wrapped a towel around his waist and yanked the door open; there was barely anything to be seen in the darkness of the hallway but the cold wind that hit him straight in the chest felt like a punch. "What?"

There she was, blushing and looking away, mortified by his state of undress. She pulled up a clear plastic bag containing a lame-looking box as a shield between them. "I- I- I'm so sorry! I just thought- This is for you!"

He exhaled through the nose, outraged. "You brought me your leftovers, Hyuuga?"

"Eh? No! I'd never do that!" The betrayal in her eyes met his in surprise, she wet her lips and cleared her throat to start again. "I- I was just walking home when I saw this- it's um the shop-! It's a specialty bento. They don't always last this long, so- It's just I noticed you limping a little bit and umm… I thought you'd like it if you didn't have to walk to the store. There's sour plum and salmon roe with rice… It's still warm."

"What makes you think I like sour plum or salmon roe?" a wet brow arched.

"Y- You don't?" in her horror, her eyes wandered down to the dark scar on his chest. She looked away, frustrated with her own unreliability and cursing her eyes for looking. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't apologize for stupid things." He accepted the bag from her nonetheless. "Go home, it's late."

"Goodnight."

"Mm." He shut the door after she opened her umbrella and stepped out into the loud rain, his hair was still wet but damn it he was absolutely famished and would eat whatever junk he got. She just saved him the trouble of having to slosh through that mucky weather for a stale packed dinner, it was stupid of her to come all the way here for this, anyway, no need to feel touched about it.

When the top lid of the box came off, the contents appeared to have been arranged elegantly in squares and circles. The biggest one, steaming white rice and glossy red fish eggs, was shaped unmistakably into the Uchiha fan crest.

The eggrolls were cooked just right, no brown patches anywhere. The garnishing was actually edible, none of that cheap plastic stuff, and the side dishes were fresh and plenty.

There was even a tomato salad on the side, salted and peppered to perfection.

This wasn't a playful lunch box, or something mass produced and left on shelves for hours; this was proper high-grade food made for enjoyment and satisfaction. The only time he'd ever seen something this elaborate was that one time he went on a cherry blossom picnic with the rookie nine, and even then, enjoying the food wasn't his first priority.

He didn't want to admit that it was suspicious, because why would the shop create such a design when he'd never even shopped with them?

They wouldn't, not unless someone specifically asked them to…

The same someone who didn't drink but invited him over for shots, the someone who would chase him down the street for an awkward conversation.

Someone who was reaching out, just as tirelessly and annoyingly as Naruto.

A hundred thousand points to Hyuuga Hinata.


	17. Chapter 17

**My One In A Million**

Chapter seventeen:

Some days he missed his old house, with the kunai lodged in the wall outside, with his mother's sewing kit collecting dust on top of the tv, and his plastic dinosaurs in a box somewhere in the attic.

Other days, when he'd spent gallons of water trying to wash imaginary blood out of his fringe, when the gurgling moans of nobody in particular rang constantly in his ears, he would be glad it's been all turned to dust and can never chase him again.

The Uchiha clan houses have been entirely wiped out, even a big portion of the Hyuuga district beyond it witnessed sizable damage. Those guys, of course, had the funds and manpower to rebuild a huge block for the branch families almost instantly, while his land remained a dead wasteland.

He liked it that way.

Or at least, he did before someone decided to plant a bunch of flowers in it.

He didn't usually come this way, not since he nearly lost his eyesight. Too busy he was with rehabilitation and getting enough rest and not wandering too far away from his apartment in case his ankle gave out or his eyes quit on him.

It's been a long time coming and he'd finally found himself well enough to visit, only to find this thing growing out of the dirt like a snarky stop sign. This was where his parent's house was, this was where they died, this bush was living off the nutrients in their blood and ashes.

Exactly here.

Why would weeds or flowers or whatever the heck they were growing _here_ out of all places?

No, no. This was obviously deliberate, he reminded himself and the urge for destruction bubbling deep in his throat, someone had gone through enough trouble to support the branches with twigs and the soil was wet.

Okay maybe it rained earlier in the morning, but the twigs were manmade!

Or womanmade!

There were no traces of chakra, there wasn't a note or an article of clothing to indicate who might have the gall to do it; yet in his mind he was absolutely sure it was no other than the second-annoying-person in his life.

He hadn't talked to her in a few weeks –three, to be precise, but it's not like he was keeping track of these things- once or twice he'd sense her around a corner or beyond a wall in the mishmash of other people's buzzing energy. Around town, at the hokage tower, in the hospital; not once did he go out of his way to meet her in person.

He didn't want to see her, not yet, thankfully she must have gotten the hint because she hadn't been in town for a while.

Nine days to be exact, but it's not like he was counting.

How does one look in the eye a person they're evaluating as a potential life partner?

It's not like with Naruto, where it's an unspoken oath to have the other's back forever, they can have separate lives and still be good friends. But girls, no, you can't be friends with a girl you want to marry. You'd want to keep her for yourself, make sure she's safe and fed and dressed and not jealous, let her win some arguments and apologize when you didn't do anything wrong.

It's not what he's ready to sign up for, just yet.

But it's not like he can pretend he didn't think of her differently; just remembering the way her male friends hang out too close to her bothered him, their pets and hands brushing her skin or tugging on her clothes in ways he was sure she wouldn't allow him to even when she pretended they were friends. To think that there are horny teenagers peeping on her in their all-seeing district when she least expects it, that there is someone out there who is a superior telling her what to do, that there are men on the street who whisper to themselves the things they'd like to do to her if given the chance.

It annoyed him that he didn't want to touch her that way, what kind of war veteran allows another to get that close? Someone who was a Hyuuga, someone who can put out chakra points like pinching the flame off a candle wick, to be allowed to put their hands on his vital points, or catch him with his guard down, or explore his orifices long enough to leave something behind.

Or maybe the concept of being touched kindly was too good to be true, after all he'd had one too many instances where a snake shoved itself down his throat or a pair of too-big hands pried his jaws open to burn a sealing tattoo to the roof of his mouth. People putting their hands on him ranked so low on his pleasure gauge it was a tie between being touched and the realistic simulation of dying from senbons to the neck.

It was counterproductive, wasn't it? Why would he be interested in a complicated girl who invaded his personal space and planted random things in the graveyard of his clan, and then not want to act up on that interest?

He was a boy, she was a girl, the least he could do is let himself revert to basic instinct, right?

It didn't make much sense, that much he knew, but maybe it wasn't supposed to be processed with common sense anyway. He's been so out of touch with the civilian world for so long that maybe this was what normal teenagers worried about in their commoner life; about girlfriends and smooth complexions and parents who told them to clean their rooms. Maybe this was something he was missing out on, an important life experience, unrequited love was something everyone had to go through at least once to learn from.

Maybe it was about time he tried to squeeze back into the uncomfortable confines of a civilian boy's body.

The threshold of his teenage years wasn't too far back, he'd only attained 'proper adult' status a couple of years ago, it isn't too late to catch up on some childish experiences the war stole from him, is it?

Hm, yes, that's alright. Even if it was troublesome, he can crush on whoever he liked and act as stupidly as needed, and then move on to the real perfect woman once it was over.

After all, it would be hard to admit to a future wife that the only romantic experiences he had to his name were accidental kisses with his best friend and a permanent lovebite courtesy of a middle-aged man in drag.

He _needed_ to experience more normal things, for his future wife's sake.

"Yo." A girl greeted him from behind, the bright Hyuuga eyes were the first thing that drew his attention, but they were hard and cold. "Afternoon."

Sasuke turned to face her directly, it's been a while since he'd seen Hyuuga Hanabi, she'd grown taller a few inches and colder a few degrees. "What do you want?"

She puffed a stray hair off her nose and kept her shoulders slack. "How are you?"

Oh? What's this? "Is Yamanaka using her mind control thing again? We're too old for these games."

"It's not." She allowed herself a frustrated exhale. "I'm- look I'm trying to be nice, okay? I'm just gonna say hi and move along, but you gotta say hi, too, if it's gonna work out."

"Should I also get down on my knees and toss you a golden coin, your highness?" He made to search the sleeves and waistband of his kimono for spare change, amused by the livid expression on the girl's face. "Who put you up to this?"

Defeated, she finally let her hands fly in the air and exploded in rage, "Hinata thinks I'm stressing too much over you, alright? She thinks it's a good idea if I try to talk to you like a normal person and cleanse my spirit with forgiveness or something. She threatened to give me the silent treatment if I've made no progress by the time she comes back from her mission, so…"

"When does she come back from her mission?"

Hanabi looked away in shame, "Today… Actually, she's at the gates right now… Just say hi to me, okay? That way I won't be lying when I tell her I've talked to you and you talked back!"

"Hi." He said simply, fighting the tug of a smirk on the side of his mouth. It took the girl a few seconds of relief to notice that he hadn't been addressing her in the first place. "How was the mission?"

Hanabi looked back, hair flying everywhere, to Hinata who was walking down the road to greet them. The alarm in her eyes was hard to hide, thankfully Hinata was too far away to hear the hushed panic in her voice. "Don't tell her!"

"Maybe you should offer a golden coin and get on your knees."

"I mean it! Uchiha I swear-!"

"How about two coins, you're the elder's daughter aren't you? You can afford it."

"Not even spare change!" Hanabi stopped hissing and forced a smile on her face when he sister hugged her from behind. "Welcome back! I'm glad you're safe!"

"I'm back!" Hinata squeezed Hanabi tightly and then let go to brush back the hair that landed in her eyes. "I'm glad you're finally talking to each other again! Good afternoon, Sasuke kun!"

"Hn." He waited until the shorter one was finished making funny faces at him and motioned to the shrubbery behind him. "We were just saying how these flowers could fetch a coin or two in the market, how much don't you think?"

Unaware of the beads of sweat bulleting her sister's forehead, she answered with excitement. "Really? You think they'll sell? They're still very young, I doubt anyone needs so small a blossom. It needs at least three more months, I guess, but I'll give it anything you ask for. It smells really nice."

"You did this?"

The sudden displeasure in his voice was sobering, she put down the heavy bag and explained with an apologetic smile. "Yes, it was a few months ago when neither of you would wake up… I had them in a bouquette but- I didn't have the courage to see you or Hanabi at the hospital ssso I planted them here. You used to live here, right? Or near here, I think…"

"And you couldn't have planted your reject bouquet in your own house?"

Her mouth hung open in a quiet gasp, "It's- no! It's not that it was a reject bouquet! It's- those are Camelia flowers, you know?"

Annoyed that this was turning into an emotionally charged conversation, he spared the bland bushes a quick glance. "I don't care what they're named, they're on my property."

Hanabi mumbled when Hinata was too unsure of her willingness to answer. "Camelia flowers live for like forever and they're really hard to kill, you know. They're a thing people give to show they're waiting patiently for something or _someone_. She should've planted them on your social skills; I'm still waiting for that to blossom out. I'm gonna take your bag home with me okay, I'm glad you're back."

"Thank you…" it got really quiet now that Hanabi was walking away, her sandals shifted against the gravel looking for somewhere else to be, she hoping to get going as well but the conversation was not over.

He turned to look at the flowers in light of the new information, noticing how small and fragile the stems were, how soft and brittle the blossoms seemed to be under scrutiny. It did smell nice, like tea and wet dirt, or maybe that's the breeze carrying the girl's scent to his nose.

Hinata was two breaths away from excusing herself, but he spoke before she formed the words with her lips. "Why here?"

"I'm sorry."

"I'm not angry, I'm asking. Why plant them here and not in your house?"

It relieved her that he wasn't upset, and moved up to be by his side to observe the glossy leaves sway in the soft winter breeze. "It made sense at the time…"

She was hiding away the truth. "You're not gonna elaborate?"

The color in her cheek had little to do with the cold or the trek from the gates. "Well… I didn't want to believe you and Hanbi would be gone, she's my only sister, and you- well, you're the last of the Uchiha Clan, are you not? It was sad to think of it, and I wanted to make sure I prayed for your return every day. So I planted them here because I walked through this road on my way to the academy, and our house is full of similar flowers anyway. My mother liked them, you see, we have a big patch of them near her grave. I didn't want these to get lost in the ones planted for someone else… I'm sorry, it sounds silly when I say it out loud, I just really hoped it would help."

"They're just plants."

She blushed, uncomfortable. "I know, I'm sorry. You can remove them if you want, I won't intrude on you any further."

It sounded like she was finishing up to leave. She was tired, no doubt, and wanted to get the grime and sweat off her as soon as possible, but he didn't want to let her go, not yet. "Are they troublesome to take care of?"

"Eh? Camelia? Not particularly. I'd say you needed to water them regularly, but we're already in the rainy season and they're strong against the cold. Hmmm… I'm not an expert on planting them, but I think they're okay to be left alone until it's dry in summer, at least." She peeked up at his face, worried because he'd been keeping his expression in check the whole time. "I'm sorry if I trespassed, Sasuke kun, I know I've been doing it a lot lately… I'm- well, I really regret it when it's all said and done, so I'm sorry in advance, I'll try not to do it again."

"Sasuke." He repeated quietly, "Just call me Sasuke, all those honorifics are meaningless barriers anyway. We're friends, are we not?"

"O- oh… Okay."

"And Hinata: Don't apologize for stupid things." He plucked a small burr out of her fringe and flicked it aside. "What kind of mission were you on, anyway, rolling around in cow manure?"

She laughed and brushed several others out of her hair. "We were tracking a herd of deer, it was really windy in the land of Wind. Ouch! I should probably brush them out and shower! I must smell horrible!"

She smelled nice, but he wasn't about to linger on that thought when it could lead to visualizing her under running water. "Are you getting together with your gang tonight?"

"Yes, everyone will be there! Would you like to join us?"

He didn't want the others, but if he said that it would sound like a date and he didn't want to go on a date with anyone. Dates were stupid. "Maybe. Same restaurant?"

"Yes." She smiled wide, it was strange to see such a reaction when she'd never seemed particularly interested in his attendance before. "I can't wait! See you there!"

"Hm…"

Watching her small presence walk away with a cheerful step made it hard to believe that she could plant flowers and kill a human adult with the same fingertips, blush about intruding on someone's personal space when there are large bloodstains on her cape.

She was different, unexpected, it made their conversations more interesting and got his mind off other –more destructive- things.

Maybe this whole crush thing wasn't too bad after all, just by looking forward to seeing her again he was filled with energy that rivaled a revitalizing pill.

* * *

A revitalizing pill wouldn't have tasted as bitter.

Turned out her excitement was because Naruto was back and was joining them for the feast, it was great because now he had a good opportunity –and excuse- to beat the crap out of the late blond in a half-training half-punishment session of destruction.

Naruto apologized five times for not coming back right away when he heard the news of his recovery, Sasuke wouldn't have it, and Tsunade let them do whatever they wanted because she wasn't drunk enough to deal with their hormonal shenanigans.

He had to see the medic in the hospital afterwards, not as much for healing as it was for a much needed check-up. She hadn't seen him since he woke up those months ago, there was only so much her assistant could relay over pig mail. The moment the Sannin walked into the room she grabbed his chin and casually turned his head this way and that. "Why are you growing white hairs? Is it the new fad?"

It annoyed him that she could only function when her doe-eyed assistant was present, but perhaps that was for the best seeing as she reeked of alcohol and he was still pumped full of adrenaline and the desire for destruction. "You're the medic, you tell me."

"Huh, so it's happening on it's own…? Shizune told me your eyes bled occasionally, but not this."

"The eyes get better when it's not too bright."

Just when it looked like she would stop touching his face, a hand rested on his breastbone. Curious warmth seeped through the skin into scars that have long since healed, a quiet heartbeat resonated in his ears that wasn't in tune with his own. Red flickered in one of his eyes as he snatched the information of the jutsu, it would be useless as he wasn't good with medical techniques, but the part of him that still lusted for power couldn't skip the opportunity to acquire something new.

She leaned away and hummed her confusion with a finger on her chin. "Looks alright but I was hoping for better, your body's giving you signs of distress but you're not listening. Have you been eating well?"

"Your assistant interrogated me on that five minutes ago." He glared at the lady by the desk who was jotting down everything, he didn't like to be ignored and that's exactly what she was doing.

"Well I'm not my assistant, so answer them again."

"Better call Ibiki for an interrogation, then."

"Whatever. Are you sleeping well?"

He sucked a sharp breath through the teeth, the urge to tear the room to shreds was rising steadily. "Just fine."

"And food? Are you eating enough protein?"

"Yeah."

"You know what protein is, right? Beans and meat and nuts; white rice and instant noodles don't count."

"I know what protein is."

"Do you find yourself less interested in sex lately? Or maybe more?"

"Hokage sama…" Shizune half-laughed half-gasped.

"Cut me some slack. Everyone is doing it these days, and those who haven't must've learned all about it anyway. Did you forget Jiraiya's book about Naruto is an erotic novel? It's a best seller now, before you know it It'll be part of the academy curriculum, Hah! So, Uchiha, tell me?"

It wasn't that he was embarrassed about talking to the old lady about his love life, or lack thereof, but it wasn't something he'd announce to an audience. "Nothing's changed."

"What about your hobbies? Training. Are you still motivated the same as before? I know you're all about the dark and gloomy image, but if you're especially uninterested in even that, it could be a clue."

"Same." Although he'd acquired the bad habit of overanalyzing a particular person.

Her massive chest expanded as she released a heavy breath, the boy just didn't want to elaborate on anything, huh. "Did you pick up any bad habits lately? Leg shaking, biting nails, adopting homeless snakes."

"No."

"Nothing at all? At least tell me you punched someone in the nose or traumatized innocent children while I was gone." she didn't mind that he was glaring at her in annoyance, as long as she was getting any form of answer. "How do you deal with stress?"

Her pestering wasn't helping with the stress thing. "I don't think about it."

A startled expression swiped over her face before smoothing out into an understanding, albeit reprimanding knot of the brow. "You refused any kind of counseling when you first got here even though you, of all people, needed it the most. I let you skip not only because I knew you needed time to build up trust again, but because I didn't want you to barbeque my medics. Then the villages went up in arms because of the last skirmish and I had to leave. I may not be in a position to tell you what to do with your life, but if you're bottling everything without letting some steam, it's me who has to clean up when you finally pop. I'm not even worried about redecorating the mountain like what you did outside, I'm talking about human lives. Is that something I should worry about?"

"No one's dead yet."

"I mean it, kid. I may be the Hokage but if someone gets hurt it's not gonna be my order to take you out."

"I'm the last Uchiha in the world."

"They don't care."

"Fine." He didn't care about _them_ either, the counsel can go to hell and come back with duck beaks for all he cared; it's not like had plans to stay here any longer than necessary, now that Naruto's back, he would keep to himself until he moved away.

Which he will do.

Eventually…

All he needed was to feel well enough for travel, and then it's the highroad to another land.

"Don't forget to take a break every once in a while, a soft-core addiction isn't too bad as a coping mechanism, either." Tsunade reminded him as he left the examination room, not knowing that he was walking out of the hospital straight to a crowded business district crawling with tipsy men and scantly clad women. Addictions of every kind were abundant in this part of town.

His eyes scanned the crowd in the restaurant twice, once because he found Hyuuga Hinata, the other because he was not supposed to be looking for Hyuuga Hinata. "Naruto." He found the boy at a crowded table of fans and friends who wanted to hear the stories of his adventures in the land of Rain.

"Hey, did grandma Tsunade fix your booboo?" the boy grinned so wide his eyes nearly disappeared. His own nose and lip were bruised, it's only a matter of hours before they heal completely thanks to the lingering aftereffects of a legendary beast still swirling within him.

"She said she'd pull my ear if I hit you again." Sasuke pulled a chair next to his friend and reached for a pair of chopsticks. "I've got two ears."

Naruto laughed, and for a moment it was like a lifetime ago that they've sat here, casually enjoying good food and refreshing drinks in the company of familiar faces.

It was something that looked, and tasted, a little bit like happiness.

And then the idiot had to go off and ruin it.

"Excuse me, everyone, I uhh I know I'm not Hokage yet, but I've got an announcement to make that's kinda as awesome as being Hokage." He scratched his head at the groans and laughs that interrupted the curious silence. "I proposed to Sakura a few hours ago and she said yes! Can you believe it?! I'm gonna get married! Ouch! I mean _we're_ gonna get married!" the grinning boy rubbed away the pinch on his leg and accepted the ecstatic congratulatory bumps on the shoulder and happy-wishing handshakes and his bride-to-be's affectionate kiss.

"Congratulations." Sasuke said to the overwhelmed couple, Sakura looked genuinely surprised and happy at his well wishes, Naruto just went eheheheh and scratched his scalp. "But aren't you forgetting something?"

"Huh? What do you mean? I gave her a ring and all I just didn't wanna do it in front of a crowd so she wouldn't feel pressured to say yes!"

"I mean some_one_." He motioned his chin to the table next to them where Inuzuka, Hinata and a third girl he didn't recognize were seated. "Last I heard, you didn't give her a clear answer."

The boy's face fell, he whispered in quiet embarrassment, "Do I have to? I mean, it's obvious…"

"Tell her." Sasuke demanded, and slipped out of his char to clear the path.

"Yeesh, this is gonna be awkward…" Naruto adjusted his clothes, fixed the headband on his forehead, and walked up to the table to say in an unnecessarily loud voice. "Hinata chan, I know it's really late and I'm an idiot since I'm really bad at these things, but I uhhh… I'm sorry, I like someone else."

Hinata was as red as a ripe tomato for being under the focus of so many eyes. "It- It's okay- rreally. I wwish you happiness a- and umm have a good life together!"

He sighed, relieved. "Whoa, thanks! I'm sure we will be! You'll be happy too, I know it! You're a great person Hinata chan you'll find a great guy in no time!"

Cheers, drinks and spicy snacks for everyone!

Life went on, people ate and drank, girls gossiped, Sakura reprimanded Naruto for his uncouth public rejection.

Hinata was surprisingly okay with it, smiling and pouring drinks for her friends, her usually soft voice was louder in the chaos while she expressed how happy she was that her friends were finding happiness one after the other –first Ino, now Sakura- she was even saying how excited she was for a branch family member's arriving baby.

Did no one else notice how hard she was trying?

"Hyuuga." Sasuke didn't bother going back for food or drinks, he stood by her table and ignored the dirty looks her friends were giving him. "There's something I want to talk to you about."

"Huh? Is everything okay?" Her smile fell.

The Inuzuka was practically baring his teeth, ready for a biting comeback. Sasuke answered simply, "Yeah, it's about your sister, you're telling her to talk to me more often?"

She smiled again, too wide, too carefree. "Oh, yes! I hope she's not bothering you?"

He gestured to the door. "Let's talk outside, it's loud in here."

Inuzuka delayed her by asking if she was going to be okay, if she needed someone to go with her; the door finally closed behind her and she was alone.

Sasuke grabbed a random umbrella from the stand and held it over their heads as they walked a short distance to the riverbank, it was quiet enough to have a private conversation, but not secluded enough to raise any suspicions.

She wondered why he was so quiet after calling her out to talk. "Did Hanabi say something to you?"

"I don't care about that, you just looked like you needed some fresh air."

The river was really beautiful with all lantern lights reflecting on the surface and tiny raindrops making pretty ripples. "I'm okay, really!"

"Okay."

So ready she was to argue back that it surprised her how easily he accepted it, and then they were quiet because it was obvious that he didn't but wasn't about to interrogate her on it.

There was nothing left to say, she found she couldn't start talking about the weather or the food or Naruto, but she also didn't want to go back just yet. After a quiet five minutes that felt like a storm of sounds and images, her thoughts brought her back to the compelling surface of water and the warmth radiating against her side without actually touching her. "I knew it was going to be this way, y- you didn't have to make him say it… I mean, thank you! But it was really- I knew it wouldn't be me even if I've hoped… At least I tried, right? Hm…"

"Marry me."

The pain bubbling in her chest came to a screeching halt, the boy was serious but the proposal was so abrupt it was hard to not read more into it. "Why?"

He shrugged a shoulder. "Why not. Everybody else is going for it."

Her mouth hung open for a second, and then she smiled. "Are you trying to cheer me up?"

"…Yes."

Her eyes saw beyond the surface, but in this particular moment it was hard to tell if he was honest or not; maybe because she could barely see anything at all through the thick barrier of tears. "I'm sorry." She apologized to him, she apologized for her gloom, for allowing herself to cry on his chest, for showing weakness, and for folding under so little a pressure.

And she apologized for the love that never blossomed because she never fought to keep it.

"Silly princess." He said against the top of her head, it was then she realized that her face was making damp the lapel of his kimono, that one of his hands was uncertain and warm on her back. "Who are you apologizing to? No one can hear you in this rain."

She found herself smiling and pushing away, the tears wouldn't stop but she'd already intruded long enough. "Sorry. Thank you, Sasuke kun…"

"No problem, Hinata _chan_."

The endearment startled her into remembering his request earlier this afternoon. "Oh, Sasuke…"

"Hm?"

"No, nothing!" she laughed and cried and wiped her face on her sleeve, allowing his shoulder to _accidentally_ brush hers until she felt stable enough to stand on her own. "I showed you something embarrassing…"

Rain rushed down suddenly and aggressively, the thick clap of thunder echoed deep in their chests like an imaginary punch to the gut. For a few loud seconds they amused themselves with watching the people on the street run for cover and vendors wring out their headbands and pant legs. She never addressed the tight grip he had on her shoulder to keep her within the safe boundary of their umbrella, he didn't seem to notice he was doing it. Once the torrent eased back to a light drizzle he released her and looked down at the flower-scented head. "I'll be sure to tell your sister all about it the next time we talk."

"Please don't do that!"

Snort. "Nah, she hates me. She only talked to me that one time because you gave her an ultimatum."

"She doesn't hate you…"

"I don't mind, or care, not really." Hanabi wasn't the Hyuuga he was trying to make sense of.

A genuine smile finally touched her lips, another strike of thunder startled her from what she was about to say, without realizing it she was all but hugging him again. "It was probably hard on her to see your frightening side after liking you for a while, so… She's just confused and maybe a little defensive."

"My frightening side? You mean what she saw inside a badly coordinated illusion? That's the emotional papercut she's trying so hard to overcome?"

"She's still a child." She said gently with a quick peek up at his thoughtful arch of the brow. "She doesn't know any better…"

"And you do? The golden girl of the wealthiest clan in the village whose life revolves around what color kimono to wear and how m"

"I know. My family duties have little to do with my regrets…"

It bothered him that she would interrupt him, "You don't know anything about regret! About losing family to this sad excuse of a village and then be expected to protect it!"

She waited for him to say more, but he didn't, not with that anguished face she was making. When he decided not to pursue the topic any further she glanced at the river, waiting –hoping- for another rush of rain or distracting bang. Her wishes were not granted, she had to speak her mind eventually. "My mother died a few weeks after childbirth because I wished upon a star for a sister. I'm at this age, it's a childish belief, but I still can't let it go…" Her voice barely reached outside the small width of the umbrella, the drops knocking on the plastic overhead were fat and loud. "My uncle was executed to retrieve me from a hostage situation. His son tried to assassinate me in public, and then hoped to sacrifice himself to win my fogiveness. I wanted to offer my life to protect the person I love but it was so little an offering that it didn't hold back the attacks, not even a little. I know what regret and sacrifice are, but I love her enough to protect a whole village if it meant saving her from going through it herself."

For a split second of lightening the image of his brother flashed before him, his blurry smile washed in tears and hands soiled with blood as he did exactly that.

For the first time since he'd met her, it occurred to him that she really was an older sister. That if things had been different, if she had been older, if she had been secretive enough, if her family was less politically involved with the council; she could have been in his brother's place.

Strangely, he didn't wish that upon anyone, his clan was gone, there was no use wishing it had been someone else's.

The cold edge of his sleeve was not as gentle on her face as he'd intended for it to be, it left her fringe in a mess and her lips and nose noticeably flushed. "Old bag said it's bad to always keep things in, you'll pop."

Hinata sputtered moist hair out of her mouth, holding back an embarrassed chuckle. "I don't pop."

"You should, it's liberating." And taking his own advice, he pressed a dry kiss to those raw lips and handed her the umbrella. "It's been a long day, I'm going home. If Naruto asks tell him we'll meet up tomorrow."

Hinata watched him walk out of the safety shelter of the umbrella and out into the soft drizzle, unbothered by the moisture washing down the stray hairs on the back of his head or the water sloshing through his sandals. Her tingling lips formed the letters 'goodnight' but her voice couldn't quite catch up.

This was also just him trying to cheer her up, right?

Right?

* * *

Sasuke nearly forgot about kissing Hinata for a whole three days.

Emphasis on nearly.

Okay maybe he _tried_ to forget more often than having done any actual forgetting.

He tried to be too busy hanging out with Naruto and getting back in shape from dawn to dusk and it was starting to work out. Today he listened to the blond singing praises about his soon-to-be-wife so he gave him an earful about being a pushover which led to an all-out scuffle or what they'd rather call spar. Sometimes during their 'spar' he'd zone out for a split second, usually because of something as small as a subtle scent in the air or the illusion of someone calling his name –the dreaded reset button!- and **_bam_ **Broken nose.

He said it was because he was recovering, because this was rehab, because he was taking it easy, because Naruto was an idiot.

It bothered him that it bothered him so much.

She didn't care, apparently. He saw her on the street, casually striking up conversation with the vegetable stand lady, or commenting on someone's nice scarf, she even let the Inuzuka dog lick her face into a soggy mess.

She didn't even look broken hearted over his friend's public rejection.

Not once did she look his way; he was so far away from her mind that she wouldn't even sense him staring. Some Hyuuga she made, he could be a stalker and she wouldn't know what hit her.

Hmph, too bad on that lost girlfriend potential.

"Oi, what's really buggin you?" Naruto asked after a long swig of water.

"Nothing." He accepted the bottle and drank the rest. "Too much of nothing, to be exact. I'm bored."

"Eeh? That's it? Come with me to the Rain then! That place is crawling with so many creepy dudes I can barely sleep at night!"

"So what, you're asking me to stay up and guard your sorry ass?"

"Yeah! You're bored anyway aren't you?" The boy laughed and dodged the empty bottle easily. "It's really bad there, you know… Kids with no homes or families, families with no kids, and the higher ups only care about elections and who gets to sit on the big chair. It's not even a comfortable chair, it squeaks and smells funky."

"So don't go back, let old bag take care of it."

He sighed and joined him on the ground to stretch his sore legs, there was a sizable hole in the ground but at least it was less destructive than their usual sparring sessions. "Grandma Tsunade might look hot with those giant knockers, but she's really old. I didn't think she'd make it through the war, you know. It's only a matter of time before these elections are over, and I'll be back here to help her with our own council reform. You've seen what it was like, those old guys can be scary when they play god."

"We're the ones who did the actual fighting, if you ask me."

"I know, right! So I want to hurry up and help the Rain find a good leader so it's one less thing to worry about when this village goes through it's own crap. Or I dunno, maybe I'm thinking this all wrong…"

Sasuke clapped the boy on the shoulder. "You're actually smarter than you let on, aren't you."

Naruto snickered and returned the violence twicefold. "You're smarter than me, I don't get it! Why won't you run for Hokage yourself? You'd be great at it!"

"It's not that it didn't occur to me, and in theory I'm sure I'll be better than you _and_ those selfish old crones; but in practice I'm confidant I'll be too much for them to handle. If something isn't useful I'll throw it away, but in this village there's too many sentimental people, I'll never get anything done without stepping on toes. And it's not like you'll be the supreme leader, you know? There's votes and paperwork and people who are too comfortable where they are that they're willing to murder others to keep it that way. Have you read the Hyuuga history or the Nara archives?"

"Uhhh no… What's that gotta do with anything?"

Sasuke laid on his back in the mud and let the afternoon drizzle wash sweat and dirt off his face. "The Nara are geniuses by birth, but they're not allowed any jobs other than intelligence and deer herding. The politicians don't want someone outsmarting them so they clip the firefly's wings and pretend it's a cricket."

"I don't understand that anology… I thought the Aburame were the clan with the butterflies and wings." Naruto scratched his head. "The Hyuuga have wings, too?"

"No… The Hyuuga sacrificed more than their jobs… People were executed as pawns for politics whether the Hokage liked it or not. The Third didn't want what was planned for my clan to happen, but they went ahead anyway because they outvoted him. What's the use of assigning a new leader if everything he does can be outvoted by the same people?"

"If you become Hokage you can fire everyone!"

"I'll fire everyone alright, for seven days and nights."

"Uhhh! No! Not that kind of fire!"

"Pff, calm your pants I'm not gonna dirty my hands on those pruny slugs." His stroll through the archives had been illuminating, and to think that he'd copied the texts in those books himself without committing any of it to long-term memory. If Hinata hadn't mentioned the thing about her uncle he wouldn't have bothered looking back into them. "Hey… Why did you reject Hyuuga Hinata?"

Naruto choked on his own spit. "What the- the topic changed so quickly it gave me whiplash!" He rolled to his stomach and rubbed his face in exasperation. "I like her, you know, she's a great friend and I owe her my life! She saved me a bunch of times and I don't want like seeing her get hurt or know someone to hurt her feelings. But you know… I've never had sisters, and I'm not sure if that's what it would feel like, but it's that kind of _like_ that she's really special and she always will be, but not as special as who you _really_ like. It sounds weird, I know! Gah!"

"If Sakura said no, would you have married her instead?" Sasuke asked lightly, leaving the question to hang in the air for as long as his friend needed.

He didn't need too long. "I don't know, I'd be too devastated about Sakura chan that I probably wouldn't think about anything else…"

"You'd probably not take no for an answer anyway. I'm sure Sakura said yes to spare herself an annoying brat hiding around every corner until she did."

"Ahaha, true!" there was an insult there somewhere, he didn't linger long enough to find it. "What about you, do you like anyone? Should I plan a double wedding?"

"If it weren't for the fact that I was the very last of my clan, I wouldn't have thought about marriage or kids in the first place."

"Whoa, not so fast! Who said anything about marriage and kids! I just asked if you _liked_ someone." The boy froze for an instant, having just realized what getting married entailed. "Oh crap… I'm gonna be a dad and make house rules and maybe one day I'm gonna be a granddad! Whoa wait hold on, I didn't think this through!"

"What else did you think it was, idiot?"

Naruto got up on his knees in his excitement, spraying dirt and water everywhere. "I dunno! At first it wasn't about kids or meeting the parents or anything married like that. I just didn't want Sakura to feel alone while I'm away! Who knows how long I'll be busy with Hokage stuff but I also don't want someone else to snatch her! And then it's because- well, I really really love her and I wanna show her and don't laugh at me for saying it: I wanna kiss her and hug her and wake up in the morning to hug her and kiss her some more! Having kids and being a granddad can wait, right? For now I just want to be happy with the girl I love! Getting married just means I don't have to worry about proving it to her every day!" He sucked in a nervous breath. "Don't laugh!"

"I'm not laughing."

"Why aren't you laughing? That's suspicious!"

"I'm not laughing!"

"Laugh! It pisses me off when you're laughing on the inside with that blank face!"

"I'm not laughing on the inside! Jeez! Stop being such a baby!"

The mountain shed another chunk of earth that morning, Sakura had to put on her big-girl gloves and knock it back in place before knocking some idiot boy's teeth in.

Naruto's point of view on the matter sparked his interest, so come afternoon, Sasuke found himself in the only bookstore in town browsing the romance novel isle.

There were love stories of all kinds, silly ones, overly dramatic ones, ones with betrayal and spy tactics and schoolchildren confessing in the school gymnasium.

This was very different from novels aimed at adults, was this what innocent girls grew up fantasizing about?

What did innocent boys grow up fantasizing about?

He asked the old shopkeeper for the boy's section, but the only ones there talked about future technology and killing the living dead and graduating ninja academy with flying colors.

Hn… Maybe if he had the time as a schoolboy he might have found these interesting, but now, after everything, the last thing he wanted to read was glorified violence.

Two chapters and a sore neck later, Sasuke lifted his head from the pink-covered publication at the person joining him in the narrow women's isle. Hyuuga Hinata was looking at the spines, but the stiffness in her shoulders told of her discomfort.

Was she always this good at pretend not to notice him?

He didn't want to talk to her, not now; not until he figured out what the hell he was supposed to be looking for in a girl.

Was he looking for anything at all?

After a moment of fake pretences, the girl turned and their eyes met in subtle surprise, it was obvious then that the reason she walked into this store in particular was because he was in it. "Hi."

"Hi." He didn't like awkward pauses or having to tiptoe around words with her. "So you finally decided to stop avoiding me?"

"No… Yes…" She stepped close enough to speak quietly, but stopped far enough to not get kissed again. "Thank you for trying to cheer me up, but I'd like it if you didn't surprise me like that again."

He shut the book with finality. "Great, that'll save me a lot of time I could've wasted on you."

Hinata winced so hard he might as well have hit her with the dictionary from the top shelf. "It was my first-!" She shot a nervous glance at the elderly shopkeeper who didn't seem to hear anything at all, and scanned the empty store with her byakugan for safe measures. "I don't understand why-!"

"What part do you not understand, the part where I like you or the part where I ask you to marry me?"

"B- But I thought you were just- I didn't think you were serious!"

A part of him wasn't, the little voice in the back of his head that was too proud to admit that she had every right to say no. "Not if you're so disgusted by the thought, no."

It was suddenly quiet, she didn't know what kind of answer this was supposed to be, or what kind of response he was waiting for, or how long she had to think before he got tired of waiting, or if someone was going to walk in and interrupt this tense conversation. "I still like someone else, you know that… Thank you very much, I'm honored, but…"

"Ok." He set the book aside, knowing that it would have been a good read had he not lost all interest in the subject.

He wanted to feel angry, insulted, disappointed, but all he felt was a big whopping bunch of nothing at all.

Maybe he wasn't cut out for this emotional stuff after all.

Hinata tried to do some damage control, it was almost cute how wide her eyes had become. "We can still be friends, right? I- I can still talk to you, right?"

"Thanks for trying to cheer me up, but no."

"Ah…?"

He walked away, she caught his arm.

She let go as if electrocuted, he looked back as if her touch burned.

"Sorry!"

"What."

"Nothing!"

She hung her head for as long as he stood there, her hair hid her well, but the boy can see how frantically her chakra was buzzing in that small frame.

Why did she come find him if she wasn't comfortable in his company? It was a small kind of achievement now that he compared her action with her usual conduct; it must have taken her a few days of pumping herself up to finally do it. "Might as well buy something, I guess. Tell me what you read and liked."

Filled with newfound hope, Hinata turned to the classic novels and pulled out a few to show him. Her words made little sense when all he could hear is the tension in her vocal cords and all he could see was the stubborn drop clinging to her lower lash.

It burned beneath his fourth rib and to the left that _he_ made that voice tremble, that _he_ was the cause of those tears.

It's ridiculous, he was Uchiha Sasuke, he fought the world's strongest shinobi and won, he defeated the greatest beast known to man, he was the sole wielder of more than three exclusive means of combat, yet here he was standing in the women's books isle listening to novel recommendations from the girl who rejected him.

Liking someone shouldn't be this hard, should it?

If he liked her then he did, and it'll show, that was his policy.

Where the hell did it go wrong?

"Hyuuga." He glanced at the snoozing old man at the counter and took a step closer to her. "You don't have to try so hard. You can walk away."

She looked at him, and then at the regal woman on the cover of the book she had been praising. "Okay…" Her mouth curved for an apology, but she didn't breathe it out. Her hands clutching the book remained in the air for a few seconds, unsure if she wanted to put it back just yet. "I don't… want to walk away." The first few pages were fillers and forewords, she'd read it so many times that looking at the first paragraph was like seeing an old friend. "I don't know who else to talk to."

"The dog looked like a good listener, actually."

She finally smiled, but as brief as it had been, the crack in the mask was glaringly obvious. "I'm sorry, I won't keep you from your business. I'd recommend this one, I guess."

He didn't like that the book was named after a flower, tsubaki, or maybe that was the protagonist's name. Wasn't _tsubaki_ the traditional name for the Camelia flower she planted in the rubble of his old house? Hn… Interesting. "Buy it for me." her confused face was priceless, "And I'll buy you a coffee or something, and you can tell me why this book is better than all the others."

She probably didn't know what kind of face she was making, but if he was the only one she showed it to, if he was the only one who could grab this drowning girl's hand and pull her to shore, he had no other choice but to do it.

After all, wasn't she the one who held his arm and walked him out of the darkness when nobody else would?


	18. Chapter 18

**My One In A Million**

Chapter Eighteen:

They've met in that same booth for so many days now that by the time it's dusk in the horizon, the staff would have their usual order on the table before they had time to take their jackets off.

Having something laid back scheduled everyday was a good change of pace, that way even if he was sore and bothered after hours of training and rehab, he'd still have something to look forward to once he's done. And on those nights when he couldn't sleep, when the voices were too loud or the images too vivid, he'd grab the book and read about the silly misadventures of a girl who didn't exist, so he can rant about his wasted time the next day only to be told it would be worth it once he read the rest.

It was an addiction, and it was exactly what the doctor ordered.

Two weekends later she was late for the first time. He waited at their usual table by the large windows looking out to the busy street, his teacup empty and her order of cinnamon buns untouched.

She'll be here, he thought as he flipped through the pages without really seeing the words, she'll be here in a bit.

But why would she?

It wasn't like they've made an agreement to meet here every day, she probably didn't have too much time on her hands today and thought she could skip. All they had were one or two hours, it shouldn't be too hard to keep up with so little demand, but then again it's not like she was paid to do it, she didn't _have_ to show up every day.

He had things to do, too. Naruto always needed a sparring partner, there were things to move to and fro in the old archive offices, his -her!- apartment hadn't been vacuumed in a few days, the tomatoes in his fridge were going soft.

He was busy too, alright, it wasn't like his sanity depended on this or anything.

But it did, he knew it did; every time the shop door opened he would look up, every person that walked by the frosted glass resembled her silhouette, he needed the distraction and he needed it to be consistent.

Just when he'd gotten the hang of not looking up when someone walked in, the girl dropped into the seat before him and proceeded to yank off her thick scarf and coat. "I'm so sorry! I got caught up and I couldn't run as fast because there was sleet on the road!"

Sasuke shut the small book and set it aside to fix her with a disinterested purse of the lips. "Oh? Is it that late already? I hadn't noticed."

Her bright eyes dimmed down a notch but her smile remained pasted in place. "Yes, my father was um… Never mind. Thank you for ordering."

"I didn't order anything, they just bring them out and expect us to pay."

She pulled off the soft gloves and set them aside to rip a roll from the basket and eat it, there were drops of rain hanging on the ends of her hair, her breath was deep and quick as if she'd ran all the way here anyway, a permanent blush glowed in her cheeks and nose from the cold.

It startled him to realize he'd been contemplating how disgustingly sweet her fingertips would be if he kissed them now, so he changed the topic. "What did your father want?"

"It's a long story…"

"I'm sure I can catch up."

A particularly glossy speck of sugar clung to the corner of her mouth, it disappear when her lips pressed together. "Well… He was at a meeting with Hokage Sama, and he doesn't usually talk about it at home but today he said the council decided something important and I needed to hear it. I'm sorry; did you have somewhere you needed to be? It's already dark outside."

"It's fine." Sasuke rolled his eyes and sat back in his seat to cross his arms and pray for patience.

"Oh, okay. Well, he said because Naruto kun was so famous and the wedding was going to attract a lot of people from all over the countries, there were going to be a lot of feasts at our house. It's- well, there were a lot of times when things were okay, but he knows about me and um… Naruto kun, you know… And because there were times when some hidden villages tried to steal the secrets of the Byakugan… Eventually, he said it was okay if I wanted to move out again, that Hanabi could use some time away from the formalities."

Sasuke studied her intently, his brows knotting until she found it harder and harder to continue. "You're telling me to move out."

"Huh? No! Not at all!"

He leaned forward, "You're telling me you and your sister are moving in?"

"No! I was going to ask you if you know anyone who can help me find a nice place! You really don't think of me like that, do you? I'd never…" She had to order a fresh cup of tea and some water to wash down the suddenly dry pastry. "The village is really big and there are a lot of vacancies, I'd never ask you to move out for my sake."

"I'd rather you move in with me, actually." He said simply, startling both her and the waitress. "What are you looking at?"

Hinata kept quiet until the frightened waitress scurried off to fetch the order. "It's not proper."

"No one cares about being proper anymore, you think couples wait to get married before moving in together? Or men and women don't have casual encounters? Have you not been near the red light district?"

Her face reddened, she was suddenly glad the shop was new and nearly deserted. "Still-! I'm- I'm the eldest Hyuuga daughter, there's rules! And people will talk, it will effect even my father and my sister's reputation, and that's really important for them!"

"Is reputation important for _you_?"

Her eyes widened like saucers. "Of course it is!"

Her answer caught him somewhere between impressed and aggravated. "Are you refusing because I'm a man, or because I'm an Uchiha?"

The words caught in her throat, she had to set aside the second cinnamon roll before it could drop into her lap. "Sasuke I don't care about the history between Uchiha and Hyuuga, it's because I want to do everything i can for my sister to become a good clan leader. I also want to move out, too. It gets really claustrophobic when there are a lot of banquets, I don't know how my father tolerates everyone for so long."

"Isn't he doing it for your sake?" He glared at the silent waitress who approached carefully to set their order on the table. Warmth ran down his throat at the first sip of fresh tea, with it the awareness that if he kept this up, Hinata will start feeling boxed-in even in his company. "Where will you go?"

Subdued, she just shrugged and stared at the bottom of her tea.

"You want your old place?"

"No."

"I'm moving out anyway, you might as well take it back. The rent is paid for the next two months but the contract expired, you'll have to renew." Her surprise amused him, "I never planned to stay here long, once Naruto goes back to the Rain I'm packing up and going somewhere else."

"Eh?" Hinata held her breath, as if waiting for him to laugh and say it was a joke. "Really? Why?"

Wait… He didn't expect her to sound so concerned over it. "Why not?"

Rain was thick outside, the glaze on the cinnamon rolls went hard and stale, her fingertips were pink as they held tightly to the cup. He saw everything, the tightness around her mouth, the thin line between her brows that hid under straight bangs, even the recently-trimmed ends of the hair that framed her face danced with her rapidly blinking eyes; he saw her distress but it didn't mean anything if it went unaddressed.

His fingers splayed over the book cover curiously, "So when does the Lord's mother stop plotting against Tsubaki?"

"Hm?" she snapped out of her thoughts, it had been a good twenty minutes of thick silence and his voice startled her out of her thoughts. The discomfort in the thin vein that connected her temples to the corner of her eye relaxed away. "Are you sure you want me to spoil it for you?"

"No, I just don't want to sit here and wonder what you're thinking. Tell me why you look so annoyed, tell me you don't know what to look for in an apartment." And then with less urgency, "Tell me not to go."

Her voice whispered so lightly he nearly missed it. "I don't have the right."

"You planted friggin daisies on the remains of my old house, you didn't have the right to do that!"

Her sip of tea was more to clear her throat than quench a thirst. "I'd leave too, if I could… I want to see the world we worked so hard to protect, I want to read books written in other countries, I want to see the ocean and not worry about a mission's deadline, I want to collect flowers that don't grow in this climate. I don't blame you for wanting to leave, I just wish I could go, too…"

"So let's go."

She smiled, hopefully at first, and then apologetically. "I can't, you said so before; my father is only letting us move out because he wants us to be safe. I can't just leave when he needs me to protect her, at least not until the wedding… No, even then I can't go anywhere. If the Hyuuga elders knew, they'd seal me so I wouldn't betray the secrets of the Byakugan to the outside world…"

He exhaled through the nose and directed his scrutiny to the wet, glowing world outside. "Becoming a missing nin doesn't sound like a bad idea..."

"I try not to think about it that way… There must be a reason why I was born here, why I was born a Hyuuga, that I survived the war when so many didn't. I must be useful to someone out there, a god or a spirit or an instrument of fate, I know I am._ I have to be_…"

He knew at least one person she had been useful to. "How long do you plan to live for others, exactly? Because last I checked, people like us could die in a blink. Literally."

Sasuke pulled a few notes from his pocket to pay for his share –they'd agreed to pay for their own orders for fairness' sake- she watched him gather his book, pull on his coat and walk the short distance to the door.

Outside, under the just-opened umbrella, she caught his arm and whispered, "Please don't go."

"I have an arrangement with the physical therapist, I don't want to be late."

"Please don't go. Please don't _leave_."

And just like that, his desire to be somewhere else –the desire that had been dwindling anyway- diminished altogether. "Don't be late tomorrow, or I'll spoil the book for you."

She sniffed. "I already finished it."

"And come find me when you're ready to look for a new place, even if most of them are poorly made."

"Thank you."

"Actually, go grab your coat, there's a vacant complex just around the corner. I'll take you to it on my way to rehab."

"Thank you." she surprised him by hugging him tightly for two seconds before running off to get her things.

It would have upset him that she was sending mixed signals so early after her public heartbreak, only he didn't really care what she did as long as she wasn't making that sad face anymore.

Hmph. The irony.

The magnificent hawk was bowing his head for a little singing bird.

It wasn't as terrible, come to think of it; his neck had gone stiff from years of looking up anyway.

* * *

The building was relatively new so the only apartment ready for viewing was the one on the second floor, polished wood flooring and a relatively modern scheme for the kitchen and dining area.

It was no surprise when she liked it right away, it was just like her previous apartment -the one he hated because of all the corners.

"Wow! There's lots of space for meditation in front of the window! Do you think it would get a lot of sunshine in the morning?" Hinata asked, but there was no way he would know. Her feet took her to the corridor straight ahead, it was split into three doors, two on either side for separate bedrooms and a shared bathroom in the middle.

There was no laundry room, just a small shower and bath cubicle with minimum storage space for towels and soaps.

The kitchen comes with the basic necessities, she couldn't wait to buy cheerful tableware and that corner looks like it could use a plant and oh! The oven doubles as a microwave!

"It's great! I love it!" She gushed, the boy was unimpressed so she tried again. "I just need Hanabi to like it and we're good to go!"

"Aren't you gonna look at others before going with the first thing you see?"

"I like it so it's ok…" Her lips pouted, an expression she'd never shown him before. The face of the kid who wanted to have the thing. "It's near the shopping district, too, the main gates and academy are at equal distance from here, so…"

"And it's far from the Hyuuga houses."

"Yeah."

She hung around for a moment longer, inspecting the finer details because he suggested she did; the piping, the heating and air conditioning, if they allowed pets. Everything was brand new and in mint condition, pets were not allowed.

On their way out, the sight of the open apartment on the bottom floor distracted him from whatever pain had been pulsating in his left ankle, "Was this door open when we got in?"

Hinata glanced at the door in question and hummed. "I don't know, I hadn't noticed."

Sasuke had never bothered to look at any of the other vacancies, the whole complex looked like it was made up of identical layouts after all. Beyond this door was a proper genkan and shoe rack, surprisingly different from the marble and wood in the apartments above. As if drawn by a magnet, he crossed the hallway and pushed the door open all the way, the mud room led to a hallway lined with straw mats that stretched into a lit spacious receiving area, illuminated with quiet, subtle lights.

He kicked off his sandals and went in regardless of the girl's reluctant whispers that they were probably intruding.

The massive room at the end of the hallway was lined with barely-treaded tatami and was probably meant to double as a living and receiving room, the rice-paper doors were left ajar for the air to circulate, the paper was going yellow around the edges and had holes here and there. Beyond the frosted glass of a sliding door was complete darkness as it was night, no doubt it led to a patio or garden. The sound of night crickets was hard to ignore and there was ice in the ridges, this door had been left open far too long, the straw in the mats will rot. The ceiling was lined with wooden beams and for a moment he had to remind himself that the second and third floors were made of industrial cement, so the wood must be for aesthetics. There was no furnishing or signs that it was occupied save for a paper cup of tea in a corner.

The living room was large enough to run through, the kitchen had a proper curtain, even the groaning sound the doors made as they slid in their tracks was nostalgic. The persistent scratching at the walls of his mind finally registered like a water balloon suspended in the air and then popping all at once: the memory of sunshine and dry grass and _home_.

His mother chatting voicelessly as she whipped cake batter in a bowl which he licked later, her straight back as she hung up the laundry on a sunny day while he watched from the living room table over crayons and paper, her graceful hands pouring green tea for them on the porch one rainy afternoon. His father joined them sometimes when he wasn't working overtime or chasing a criminal, the sleeves of his hakama dancing in the wind as he sipped from his special white cup. Itachi hated the smell of bell peppers that clung to the tatami after curry night, but loved the aroma of mint tea when it spilled and soaked into the straw. Mother's soft hands on his when she taught him how to connect the dots to outline the dinosaur in his coloring book, the warmth of the noon sun on his belly when he laid down on sleeping dad's arm to take a nap, his very first sip of disgustingly bitter sake at new year's, the creaky step in the stairs, the holes he and his brother poked in the doors when they had a mysterious guest in the middle of the night.

And then a person he couldn't recognize, running her fingers through his hair and curling her lips to tell him it'll be okay, safe and loved in her arms, the scent of flowers in his nose and the lull of ocean in his ears.

"Sasuke?"

He jumped in start, having forgotten that someone else was there and allowing his heart for a split second to lay down the walls. Pinpricks spread across his arms and neck when he saw before him the distorted image of the girl with gentle hands and stringy hair, donning a white trench coat that had him blinking three more times to make sure it hadn't been a summer dress.

Her standing there, real and complicated, reminded him that everything he'd clung to had been an illusion. The simple girl in his dream, his ambitions, his family, all of it no longer existed.

It would never again be a family member to call his name, just as he would never again be back home, his real home.

He wanted to hide in her arms and cry himself dry.

Hinata's smile faltered when she saw the expression on his face. "Are you okay?" the raw pain in his eyes startled her, she'd seen him annoyed and angry and mischievous, but never unguarded…. It was frightening.

She wanted to hold him, but she'd already bothered him once already so she didn't.

The tension that held his body rigid dissolved and he reverted back to a neutral flat expression and a slanted hip. He looked away and towards the glass doors, to the darkness that beckons outside. "I didn't know there was a traditional apartment in this building. I would have spent less time in your pink one if I'd known."

"But technically it's lavender, a lighter shade of purple…"

"I know purple, I like purple, _that_ isn't purple."

"What the…" They turned to the old man who walked in with a surprised arch of the brows, he smiled when he recognized Hinata's heritage. "Ah, Hyuuga sama. Are you interested in renting a place?"

Hinata bowed respectfully. "Sorry for the intrusion! I'm curious about the apartment on the second floor, the one open for the public."

"Oh, yes, of course. Hyuuga sama can have any place she likes." He smiled and bent over to drop and unlock a scroll case with a simple jutsu. "How long would you be staying with us?"

"I'm not sure yet. Two months for now, is that okay?"

Sasuke spread his arms to gesture at the wide room they were in. "And I'm taking this one, while you're at it."

Hinata and the landlord had identical expressions of confusion. "You probably couldn't afford it." The man shook his head no.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "I own a district!"

"You mean an empty district; you're a fool if you think empty land will sprout profit from the ground. Especially earth with that much bad luck intact." He mumbled to himself, definitely not a fan of the Uchiha. "Build some shops there, boy, or sell the land. What's a single guy wants with a place this big, anyway."

Sasuke made a face that people read as 'this is mildly annoying' but the girl knew it was the last face people saw before they got punched in the teeth. "It's not your business. I'm taking it."

Landlord had to exchange glances with the anxious girl, unaware of the danger he was in right now. "You don't get it, do ya? I don't want you here."

Sasuke seethed, Hinata shook her head no and hoped he would listen.

With a sneer, he tried again. "I'll buy the whole complex, then."

The old man's face swam in wrinkles. "With that attitude I doubt anyone would even look at the brochure."

"Now you're just stating opinions." Sasuke uncrossed his arms and stared long and hard into those wrinkly tight eyes, working out the many ways he could swindle the property off the old man without getting caught. If only those all-seeing eyes would stop staring at him like a match about to catch fire. "So are you selling or not?"

The old man looked between the two powerful, young war heroes who could give him a good deal with their family's fortunes. "How much do you have?"

"How much do you want?" Sasuke flashed a rare smile of triumph when the landowner begrudgingly bent to bring out the required paperwork. "Rejoice, princess, now you can have your pink furniture back."

"It's purple!"

* * *

Her apartment was too small, he refused to let strangers into his, so their housewarming party –that Naruto and Hanabi decided was a rite of passage- was at their usual pub. The business flourished whenever the rookie nine gathered, people liked a noisy place and the administration liked the way the excitement drew the crowds. This time there were more people than usual, Hanabi's friends and team, Hyuuga teenagers, some of Hinata's acquaintances from the Sand who had been over for a delivery mission.

It had been a noisy, chaotic half hour before he noticed none of Hinata's teammates made it. The girl was sitting with another group and seemed to enjoy listening more than talking. No, she didn't look like she was enjoying it at all. As if by telepathy, she glanced in his direction and smiled politely at his prolonged stare.

With an understanding scoff, he raised his hand and motioned for her to come closer, and when she did, he edged aside in the booth to make room. He had been the third wheel to Naruto and Sakura for a while now, it's only fair he made them as uncomfortable as they made him.

Hinata was just as stiff, apparently having to greet Naruto for the first time since the rejection. "Hello, N-Naruto kun, Sakura chan."

"Yo!" Naruto knocked his drink to her glass of water. "Congrats!"

"Hi! Congratulations on moving out! Did you pick out your furniture yet?" Sakura grinned even when the answer was a hesitant yes, "Let's go together next time you need anything, it'll be fun with more people!"

"Okay…" Hinata glanced at the boy sitting next to her, hoping to hide how embarrassed she was that just when she found the courage to don a kimono, he showed up wearing a turtleneck and black pants. Even Hanabi laughed at her for wanting to wear it, saying that 'it's six months too early for the fireworks festival!' while they tried to figure out how their assistant managed the sash situation back home. "How are you?"

"I'm not drunk enough if that's what you're asking." He poured himself another shot of sake and knocked it back, grimacing as it rolled down his sensitive throat. This was the first drink he took since the hospital, it tasted as fresh and terrible as the very first time.

A squeak of restrained laughter escaped her throat, she took the bottle and refilled his next shot. Holding back her sleeve with her free hand, easing the liquid into the container without knocking the ceramic together, rolling her wrist to make sure the last drop didn't splash; she'd done it so many times for her father and cousin that it never occurred to her how graceful she looked. "I'm glad you're having fun, but it's not what I was asking about."

Huff. "Can't complain, there's ups and downs but it's better than being dead." Thanks to the noise, nobody could hear anything from their hushed conversation, not even Naruto who had been busy asking Sakura to refill his cup only to be told it wouldn't fair to compare if she messed up so she refused. "You drink some, too."

"I don't like it."

"You're not missing out on much, if you ask me." He forced down another shot and gasped at the sharp sensation that went straight to his head, it was a sign that he was going too fast, so he put the cup down and leaned back to catch his breath.

Her flushed fingers brushed condensation off the warm pottery. "But how are you, really? How are your eyes? Your chest, does it still hurt? Do you still have headaches in bright light?"

It usually annoyed him if someone saw right through his dodges, strangely, he wasn't as annoyed with her right now. Maybe he was hoping someone would ask him this genuinely, or maybe the alcohol was starting to fog his senses. "It's alright, It's not as bad unless it's really cold, or the first few minutes I get in the hot bath, I can handle that much. You didn't tell me, where's the dog?"

With a bright smile, she pinched his cheek to remove a lash and blew it away. "They're in the land of Snow with Neji nii in my place. I couldn't go because it's so cold and they're staying for a while…"

Sasuke popped a salted cashew nut into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. "Is that why you hung out with me? Nobody else was available?"

"Yes and no…" she started, but never got to finish because her sister smashed a huge bottle of wine over someone's head.

It was like a circus, there was blood and booze everywhere, Hanabi nearly popped her top at the medic who tried to help Konohamaru from the glass shards in his hair, Naruto got involved and had frothing beer poured all over him.

Sasuke picked up his jacket and left when it turned into an all-out food fight.

Hinata was a little ways behind. She followed silently a few paces back and only caught up when they rounded the last corner. Sasuke frowned at the unstable asphalt under his totally stable feet. "Didn't want to get your kimono dirty?"

Her sigh spoke volumes. "In a way…"

"You can't just say yes, can you? Not having an opinion isn't cute in this century. Say yes if you mean yes, and no if you mean no." He slipped his hands in his pockets for warmth, already his breath in the air was white, it's only a matter of time before everything was covered in snow.

He hated snow. "Or is that how you get guys to like you? It is, isn't it? One step in front, two steps aside, is that how it goes…?"

Hinata fought a smile but didn't try to prove him wrong, the boy was smashed.

"Why didn't you tell Sakura you already have everything? You brought most of it from your pink apartment, didn't you? She's just looking for someone to keep her company on a boring errand. Maybe she's rubbing it in your face that she's moving in with Naruto, that slug needs some salt…" He pursed his lips when the girl just nodded. "You're gonna leave your sister behind?"

"She's old enough to apologize for her own mistakes."

"Merciless." He sucked in a big breath, the world was swimming before his eyes, it was just a little ways to his apartment and then he can crash in bed all night. "I think I drank too much… Did you drink?"

Hinata decided to step a little closer, he was starting to lose balance and there were pebbles everywhere. "No, I don't like alcohol."

"Hn, it was awful anyway. You're not missing out on much. Wait, that sounds familiar…"

"I wonder why." Watching him trip on his own feet urged her to stop joking and hold his arm up the few steps to their building, his door was left unlocked because, really, who had the gall to break into Uchiha Sasuke's apartment?

The boy tripped on the threshold, nearly ripping himself from her grasp and landing face-down into the marble of the genkan had she not caught him in the very last second. She slipped out of her sandals and helped him inside with his arm over her shoulder, through the bare living room and to where she assumed was the bedroom.

It wasn't, he went straight to the bathroom.

Particularly, to the toilet.

Two bottles of water, three towels and a hundred backrubs later, he was curled miserably on the floor with the nearly-empty tissue box within arm's reach and sweat acting as adhesive between his forehead and hair.

Hinata came back from the bedroom to help him to bed, it was a simple futon and pillow that he'd stuffed carelessly into the empty cupboard, the rest of his living quarters were just as unfurnished as his living room. A low table here, a sitting cushion there, nothing else.

It was like that with the pink apartment, too. When she went there to gather the old furniture, she found everything exactly how she'd left it. Lotion bottles on the dresser were lifted to reveal clean rings on a layer of dust, the bed still smelled of her shampoo, and most of the tableware in the kitchen cupboards was unturned. It wasn't about the money, he obviously had the funds to buy whatever he needed, but maybe it was that he didn't need much.

Or anything at all.

He tried to take his shirt off the moment his head hit the pillow, she was able to convince him to abandon that quest by pulling the covers over him and asking him to sleep; he was surprisingly obedient. At first she tried not to look, but the quieter he was the more she felt it safe to notice the scar on his chest, the darkness around his eyes, the grey still peppering his hair. Even his hands and wrists were tight with barely any fat between the skin and tendons. Where civilians had tattoos of their ex's name or a life-changing realization, his wrists were inked with summoning seals purely out of necessity. Prior to his hospitalization and having seen him in a short-sleeved hospital gown, she'd assumed he covered his wrists to hide them.

No one can look at him and guess his real age, it was sad to think that even his youth had been stolen from him so early on.

"Hinata." He sighed, his breath smelled like rice wine and vomit. "What's the know?"

She had no idea. "Try to sleep, we'll talk tomorrow."

His hand caught the end of her colorful sleeve, his weak fingers could only hold it for a few seconds. "What was the yes or no? What no?"

Oh… "Never mind, it was silly…"

"Tell me."

Hesitantly, she uncapped a bottle of water and poured some on a towel to press to his eyes, redness was starting to roll out of his lashes, he probably needed rest more than he needed a chat. "I don't even remember what we were talking about."

"Why don't you like me?" He tried, and a dim notion told him that wasn't it. "No, wait… Why _do_ you like me? Because the dog isn't there? Is that it? Am I the dog now?"

She hoped he couldn't hear her fight back a chuckle, what ill-timing her sense of humor had! "You're not a dog. I just like talking to you, I like who I am when I'm with you." as if saying the words made her realize it, she decided it was alright to let it out and hope he wouldn't remember it tomorrow. "Even if they were here it's- well, they've known me for so long, they still worry about me like I'm ten. I couldn't show them my weak face, there's nothing they can do to help, really, not this time… But you, you don't expect anything, and you don't try to push me when I don't want, so I… I guess, I feel safe, maybe?"

He was quiet, she wondered if he was the kind of drunk who was philosophical once the alcohol hit.

"I know I shouldn't be, you don't like it when people aren't afraid of you, but I can't help it… You know, my father is using it against you, he didn't like it when he knew you own this complex now, that I'm living next door to you. I think he's planning to make us go back once the festivities die down. But for now he's letting it go because he thinks nobody would be brave enough to come here without running into you. And if there's a rumor about us, nobody would travel all the way to pose as suitors for Hanabi and I, so that's one less thing for him to worry about. Self-involved, isn't it? I'm sorry he's using you in this way."

When his mouth opened, a small snore escaped. He startled himself into waking long enough to roll to his side only to go back to sleep in a more comfortable position.

Hinata observed that half-exposed back, broad and pale and sprinkled with faded war injuries, she pulled the covers to keep the drafts out and eased off the flood. "Oyasumi." A low rumble in his chest told her he had tried to respond on some instinctive level, the smile on her face remained stubbornly in place while she turned off the lights, flushed the toilet one more time for safe measures and shut the main door behind her.

Wiping the smile off as best she could, she found Hanabi in their new apartment's kitchen, nursing a bruise just above her right eye with a bag of frozen peas. The glossy-eyed girl sniffled, "Are all boys this confusing?"


	19. Chapter 19

**My One In A Million**

Chapter Nineteen

Uchiha Sasuke was hungover.

There was a woman at his door telling him to follow some complicated instructions and making loud bag noises with whatever she brought from the store, after a final grumble from him about his headache she turned and walked away.

What's a queasy man gotta do to get some peace and quiet around here?

He dropped face down in his empty living room and willed the constant bell ringing to stop. The pattern of the mats imprinted itself in his cheek and was starting to go numb and painful, but every time he tried to turn to the other side his insides rolled up to his throat, so maybe this was a good place as any to die.

_Here lies Uchiha Sasuke, twenty years old. unaffiliated war hero. Died of reluctance to get off the floor._

The chaos in his head receded to the sound of rain, or a waterfall, he didn't know; the glass that led to the yard outside was bright and sunny so it's not like there was any actual rain. The sound started to make sense once the smell of fried eggs registered; someone has invaded his kitchen to use his frying pan. He wanted to get up, really, he did, it was just too much effort and really who has time to wash vomit out of straw?

The frying sound stopped but the smell only intensified, now there was some kind of chopping and baking going on. Hmm… Maybe he was still asleep and this was just his imagination playing tricks on him…

Like when you dream you're going to the bathroom only to wake up in a wet bed…

He doubted he'd wake up and find real food, though.

The only thing he could do without feeling pain was to close his eyes and imagine it was his mother in that kitchen, making breakfast or lunch or whatever, and in a bit she'll call for him to get up and set the table.

If only…

Footsteps, soft and light, they walked right by him and infiltrated his bedroom. The low table he'd dumped in a corner was brought out, two cushions were placed on either side, and then the burglar walked away.

When they came back, he was hit with the nauseating smell of fresh food and the colorful sight of a plate full of color. A whole tomato was sliced just for him, it sat on top of a layer of eggs and toast, accompanied by a thick slab of deep fried breaded chicken dripping with ketchup; to the side was a steaming bowl of miso soup and a massive mountain of steaming rice.

How long was he out?

He sat up and pushed back the queasiness with a sip of miso, it rolled down his throat like heavenly water on dry earth.

Hinata sat on the opposite side with an identical assortment on her tray and handed him a spoon. He shot her dirty looks and attempted to explain how he was stable enough to handle chopsticks, they ate in silence when he needed three attempts to successfully deliver a spoonful of rice to his mouth.

The rice was plump and soup mild, the chicken soft and juicy with the outside skin crunchy and salty, even the cabbage tasted good when it was just cabbage.

Later, when he was on his back with a full belly and a sense of reality slowly settling over his chest, he turned his head to look at her while she cleared the table. Her attire was a mess, she was in a grey top, mismatched with the ducky-printed pajama bottoms and two-tone socks, there was a spot of ketchup on her right cheek that went unnoticed, and her hair was gradually slipping out of the messy bun at the nape of her neck.

She was beautiful. "What did I say last night?"

"Hm? Oh... You were really delirious." She didn't elaborate. "Would you like some tea?"

"Yeah." The burn of stomach acids rolled up to the back of his throat when he hiccupped. Opting to sit up, he hung his head with his elbows over the table. "You're real… I thought this was a dream… Why are you here?"

"Hanabi is still asleep, we were both awake, so..."

"I meant why are you doing this?" He blinked at her repeatedly, trying to clear the blurry film off his eyes.

"We're neighbors…?" She knew this wasn't the answer he was hoping for, it was written all over his frowning face. "You helped me find an apartment, I'm just paying you back."

Through the tangled vine of collective thought, it occurred to him that she was always very specific about keeping tabs on who owed who what. "Did I say something I can't take back?"

"No." She chuckled, "You just threw up a lot."

"Mnnn." He covered his face in shame and made dying hawk noises. Hinata picked up the trays and went into the kitchen to allow him some semblance of dignity, even if she was barely keeping the laugh in.

He decided he could get used to this; the part where she was free to walk around his house, reposition his furniture and deny him access to chopsticks, not the part where he threw up for two hours.

Although having his back rubbed like that… He might just over drink next time.

Accidentally, of course.

Sasuke waited for her in the living room, but she didn't come back. Oh, he must have dozed off somewhere between her walking out of the kitchen and walking out the door, because it was noon and he was all alone with a cold cup of tea on his table.

He didn't feel like going to rehab, he didn't feel like meditating or going back to sleep either, he wanted to lay down on this straw mat until the end of the world came and took him away.

Or maybe this was the loneliness he never allowed himself to listen to before; of distant voices and the whistle of his own nose.

He didn't want this, he didn't want to be alone in this huge house; he wanted his mother to come and reprimand him about his homework, for her to tell him to get his laundry when he was done lazing around, for dad to warn him about his drink being too close to his elbow, for Itachi to stand over him and ask if he wanted the other stick of popsicle.

For the scent of flowers and warm vanilla to either wrap herself around him tighter, or take itself away and never come back.

He sensed the chakra walking up to his door before he heard the knock. Naruto banged on it like doorbells hadn't been invented and yelled at him to wake the hell up because it was time for a spar and he'd gotten into an argument with Sakura-chan and time to let out some steam Sasukeee wake upppp!

Sasuke rolled to his side and wondered if there were legal consequences to throwing the future Hokage into an exhausting illusion for the next five hours.

None, probably, but Hinata would never approve.

* * *

"What's it like to have sex with someone you actually like?"

Naruto choked on his noodles, spitting broth and pieces of vegetables all over the counter. Ichiraku san was too engrossed in frying something in the back to hear any of it. "Are you asking me for dirt on Sakura chan? I'm not gonna tell you anything! No, you can't make me! Stop looking at me like that!"

Sasuke was nonchalantly picking at the soggy noodles in his bowl, it never made sense to him why ramen had to be served in so big a portion. By the time he reached the actual noodles under all those toppings he'd be pretty much full and they'd be too soggy to enjoy. "I couldn't care less about your bride, but at least now I know you guys actually did it." He grinned at Naruto's exaggerated swallowing difficulties. "My doctor is making me read things as rehab for my eyesight," he lied, "So I'm reading this silly girl's book and it keeps everything nice and clean for the doe-eyed audience, but I'm told adult books aren't reliable either since they make everything dirtier anyway, so I might as well ask someone who knows both sides of the senbon."

Naruto was a pervert by nature, it didn't help that he was trained by an even dirtier old man, but this wasn't what his friend was asking about. "Sasuke you… You've never _done it_?"

"Not all the way. I'd never waste precious Uchiha DNA on some talentless floozy. You know what, never mind, the food will go bitter."

They ate in silence for a moment longer, but the blond wouldn't let it go. "You say it like it's supposed to be disgusting… it's not, you know? It's really nice."

"I don't want to hear any details, forget I asked. Just eat."

"Pff I wasn't gonna dish out any details!" He poked him with the chopsticks, "I just wanna say… I think the closest thing to it is when we learned to walk on water for the first time, it's fun and scary and if you get the hang of it you're tempted to try and do it again just to feel that rush; because now you're not as scared. Don't tell Sakura chan I said this, but a lot of hags hung around erosannin and I back when I was in training, they'd show me their junk and everything but it's weird when you don't trust them! Because wow big boobs! but I'm still a ninja! Why would I want a strange lady getting so close when she could kill me or poison me, you know?"

"You can stop now."

"Nyheheh! I was gonna add in some praise for Sakura chan just so it doesn't sound terrible when she hears."

"I'm not gonna tell her, jeez. Here eat this egg I don't want it."

"Thanks! What about you, I mean you used to be so popular I thought girls would fall at your feet now that you're back! Why aren't you dating anyone?"

Sasuke set aside his half-finished dinner and drank a healthy swig of chilled water. "I'm sure it didn't escape your notice that I was in a coma not four months ago."

"Oh, right…"

After a moment's hesitation, he let the words slip. "There's _one_ I find interesting, but she's already in love with someone else so I'm not pushing it."

"Whoa, so even _you_ can get caught in a love triangle, huh? Serves you right, look at all the years I spent as the third wheel because of you!"

"Stuupid, you just never confessed."

"I did, she didn't believe me! and then _she_ did and I didn't believe her! It's just one big mess of _god why can't we be normal teenagers for five minutes_!" Naruto finished the last of his noodles and stole a piece of meat from Sasuke's bowl. "Who is she, do I know her?"

He'll never live it down if he gets laughed at, but it was exhausting to keep his guard up about everything all the time. Might as well be a normal young adult for five minutes. "You rejected her the night you announced your engagement."

That meat didn't look as appealing anymore, falling in chewed bits from his mouth. "Wha… Are you kidding me? Hinata chan?"

Ichiraku turned his curious gaze to them at the mention of that name, thankfully it didn't seem like he heard what preceded it.

Sasuke fished in his pockets for payment. "Like I said, not gonna complicate it."

"But you said…? Is it true what they're saying about the engagement?"

A wary glance was shot at the noodle master's back. "It's complicated, her father approves but there's too many obstacles." Mainly the obstacle of them having not agreed to get married to begin with. "Don't worry, we won't be stealing your thunder. If anything is decided you'll be the first to know."

"Sasuke, wait." Naruto put his chopsticks down, suddenly serious. "Hinata chan is one of my closest friends, if you make her cry it's gonna be me who comes after you, alright? I'm not even joking."

"Alright, alright, don't get your frog legs in a tangle. It'll take her a few decades to get over you anyway, maybe by then she'd had enough of me and we'll break up, too." Yeah, that's better, leave some wriggle space for when they eventually went their separate ways. "Master, hot tea please. Naruto what do you want to drink?"

"A year." His bright eyes were crisp with realization, "She isn't as dense as you might think just because she's quiet, she sees everything. It's been almost a year since she confessed to me, and it wasn't a kind of confession that waited for an answer… It was a dying man's last wish, she said it because she had to let it go. Hinata chan isn't in love with me, Sasuke, she hadn't been for a while."

The Uchiha released a soft breath and placed a few coins on the counter. "Beer it is, then."

Sakura joined them a short while later, ordering a bowl for herself and extra noodles for Naruto. She offered to buy Sasuke another cup of tea but he excused himself early because his back hurt and he wanted to soak in a hot tub.

It didn't, he just didn't want to waste his time listening to badly masked awkwardness. Sakura was trying to be nice, he understood as much, there was always a touch of dishonesty between what she said and how she looked at him that she probably hadn't realized was there yet. She only tolerated him because he was Naruto's friend, and maybe, on some sentimental level, she still hoped he would go back to his old charming innocent self.

Pff, as if.

It bothered him how she only accepted the parts of him that she deemed worthy of praise, what about the sins they both committed, the killing and the lies and the climbing on other's shoulders that they both did?

No, apparently Haruno Sakura made it all by herself with kindness and equality for everyone, unlike him who trained with a legendary sannin and hopped up the ranks by association and adopted most of the sannin's jutsu as their own, yup not like him at all.

She was unaware of her own wrongdoings, and inner blindness was an aspect he could never forgive.

He followed the familiar aura around a corner and stood there with his hands in his pockets. Hinata was sitting on the sidewalk with her knees under her chin looking miserable, so he tossed her a coin. It fell a few inches away from her toes with a loud ding! That startled her out of her thoughts.

"What other acts of charity would you like me to offer?"

She sighed –or laughed- and picked it up to observe it. "I wanted to talk to you and Naruto kun, but I couldn't…"

"Yeah, Sakura is overbearing sometimes." He eased down next to her, from this spot he can see between two tall buildings straight to the Hokage-faced mountain.

"No it's… Sakura chan wasn't even there, I was just too scared to talk to you first. How annoying would that be…"

"You broke into my house to make me breakfast, I think it's safe to assume you can talk to me first about anything."

"Yeah I can't believe I did…" The alley was relatively dim, but her face was obviously flush. "Thank you. I kind of meant… Well, both of you. I don't know how I'm ssupposed to talk to Naruto kun anymore… It was easier before, but now…"

Now it was an official rejection which was mostly his doing. "Hnn… Strange. He just told me you were one of his closest friends and he'll go after anyone who upset you."

"H- He did? Really?"

"Mhmm."

Her chest rose and fell repeatedly, she had to keep a hand on it to calm herself down. "Are you just saying that to cheer me up or?"

"It's the truth, go ask him yourself."

She curled up again, "I- I might talk to him, but maybe later, when Sakura chan isn't there…"

"Coward." That wasn't how he wanted to phrase it, but now it was too late to take it back. Heartbeats banged loudly in his ears considering there was much else to listen to, noise on the streets, merchants advertising their products, people chatting excitedly; all he cared to notice was the buzzing of energy two feet to the left and the adrenaline flooding his system.

Hinata pushed up to her feet, slipped the coin into the pocket of her jacket and stormed off.

Sasuke went home ten minutes later, smirking to himself because the Hyuuga princess needed a donation to afford some cheap Ichiraku Ramen.

* * *

"Maybe you need a girlfriend."

Naruto stood behind him to look in the mirror, busying himself with licking the tips of his fingers and making sure his hair was spiked in a conforming manner. Sasuke scowled at the ridiculous boy and shifted to obscure his access to his reflection. "I already told you it's not like that."

"I know, I don't want you to make her jealous or anything, but you said it yourself: she's not interested. So move on and find someone who will spoil you rotten! Isn't that what you want? Someone you could go on dates with, and get worshiped by, and nyeheh maybe teach you a thing or two about expressing love!"

"If it requires me to _learn_ it then it's not meant for me." He washed his face again, for some reason his eyes were watering steadily and heavily, enough to keep him from getting any work done. Going to the Hokage's private bathroom was counterproductive, now he had an apprentice buzzing around him to play catch ball with his thoughts thinking those were tears of frustration. "It's not exactly that she's not interested, it's more like… She's not taking it seriously."

"Whaa? Don't make the same mistake I did, man! It took us months to figure out we meant it! Tell her you mean it, tell her it's what keeps you up at night, tell her how happy you'll make her but uhh you know what, knowing Hinata she might faint if you overdo it. Don't surprise her, alright? Make sure she's sitting down. And don't talk about hugs and kisses or stuff like that, that one time I said something reckless and she went out like a light!"

"Maybe you're daft."

"Maybe because she actually cared! Look, fainting is a good sign, it means she likes you so much she can't function!"

_But who needs a light that doesn't function?_ Sasuke huffed and buried his face in a fluffy towel, hoping some darkness could keep the demons down. "She never did that no matter what I said."

"Oh…" Naruto patted him on the shoulder to show sympathy, "I'm sorry man. It's just not meant to be."

"I'm too old for this."

"I think you're still too young to be growing so many white hairs, honestly."

"I mean this crush thing! How long do they usually last?"

The boy grinned, "Eeh… I dunno, depends. Hinata chan had a crush on me for years, but so did Sakura for you, so…"

Sasuke mumbled a choice few words into the towel. "Maybe it's time I move on, this is getting ridiculous."

Tsunade pushed the door open to frown at the arguing kids. "Playing hooky, huh? This isn't school anymore, this town isn't gonna run itself! Get back to work!" Naruto ran out with a laugh, Sasuke leaned against the wall and kept his face in the cool embrace of the towel. She washed her hands and opened the mirror to pick a tube of lipstick out of the cabinet. "Bad day?"

He wanted to say no, but nobody was watching and she was a medic, so he nodded.

"What happened?"

For such a simple question, it required a complicated answer. He narrowed it down little by little, bit by bit, until he could explain the problem in as few words as possible. "The girl I like doesn't like me back."

The noise that came out of her nose was unfit for a lady of her stature. "Aww, so you _do_ have a cute side!"

He waited with his face hidden in shame, for the advice, or the probable scenario, or the inevitable 'when I was your age' story. It never came. "Not gonna tell me what to do?"

Tsunade pressed her freshly painted lips together and put the tube back on the shelf. "You already know what you want to say and you're the one holding you back. I can't do much about that, can I?"

She had a point…

Too bad he had a policy against repeating himself.

* * *

"Too much water in the roots will make them rot." Hyuuga Hiashi offered casually from a few paces behind. The Uchiha district was a muddy puddle save this little patch of blossoms, it was hard not to notice it or the boy who knelt plucking weeds in it's midst.

Sasuke wiped his cold hands on his already dirty pants and straightened to admire his handy work. He didn't bother looking back at the man who had been silently observing him for the past fifteen minutes, it was supposed to be a break from the strain on his eyes from all the paperwork but now it was his patience that was wearing thin. "Are you giving me gardening advice, Hiashi?"

"Gardening, and social advice, if you will."

"I can't see how a human can have their roots over watered."

"They can if they dwell on them for too long." Their eyes met, bright white staring unwaveringly into bottomless black. "Did you do this yourself?"

"Your daughter did."

Hiashi smiled, the lines around his mouth multiplied. "That's what I thought, men like us aren't kind or attentive enough to care for a new life."

"Isn't it because you're old?" Sasuke smirked.

"It is because I have the blood of my brother on my hands." He said simply, without emotion. Years of practice must have made it easier to say it with so straight a face. Maybe, one day when he was fifty-something, Sasuke would finally muster the strength to say it as flatly. "We do not get along, I'm well aware of that, but you cannot deny that the things we have in common are plenty."

Sasuke wiped dirt off his forehead, unknowingly adding more, and turned his full attention to the old man. "What do you want?"

Hiashi's face tightened just a fraction, "I want you to understand that it was not my intention to leave my daughters in your hands, nor did anybody predict that you would take them under your wing."

"It's not like that at all." A gentle voice in his head rang clear, telling him that it was going to be understood this way by the Hyuuga, he might have been inebriated but every word she'd said that night was still fresh in his mind. "It's all one big coincidence."

"Perhaps, however, I'd like you to continue treating it as such. The Hyuuga may have a stronger dojutsu bloodline, but it is undeniable that the Uchiha reputation strikes more fear in the hearts of criminals outside these walls. I am offering you any payment you require to keep my daughters safe in your domain, but I must remind you it is not an invitation to become more than casual acquaintances with them."

The boy smiled, amused. "You make it sound like you have a say it. One of them smashed a bottle of cheap wine on The Third's grandson, and the other is on a first-name basis with the two most powerful shinobi in the land. Fool yourself as much as you want, but that's no longer up to you or your council grandpas to control."

It was hard to decipher if the Hyuuga elder was insulted or if he was helping himself to a grain of salt. "I will not approve of you, that much I can control. You may keep spreading the rumors around and I may choose to turn a blind eye when it is in her best interest, but you will not wed my daughter."

"Why not?" He crossed his arms and waited for an answer, he wasn't angry, just curious.

"Because you cannot make her happy."

Her words echoed in his ears as if she'd been there saying them in his ear. "Even if she likes me?"

Hiashi grimaced, as if the mere thought of it created a bad taste in his mouth. "It is decided."

"By who, the people who water the roots?" Sasuke picked up his dirty jacket and dusted it before pulling his arms through. "Careful, Hiashi, even potatoes leave the ground eventually."

He walked. To clear his mind, to get away from the old man, to waste time, to busy his mind with the dull scenery; walking was one of the few things he had left to enjoy.

The streets have grown busier and livelier despite the increasing chill in the air, it had been a noticeably dull month considering how busy he'd been. Naruto was involved with the Hokage business more than he used to be, it seems like the old bag was finally starting to relinquish the tight grip she had on the chair and was grooming the boy to finally take over. Because of that, and a past conversation between him and the blond, he had been put in charge of Human Resources in preparation to repositioning everyone in the cabinet, soon there will be elections to have actual representatives of the people in the new council, maybe then some of their generation's tribal grief will be avoided.

He'd never received so many gifts in his life.

Old employees in the Hokage tower bowed whenever he walked by, calling him Uchiha-dono and generally treating him like a taller clone of Naruto. They respected him only because of his relationship with the future leader, and feared him only momentarily when their jobs hung in the balance. It was hilarious, he was crazier than Naruto and required less provocation to snap, he could murder them all with a cluck of his tongue and they wouldn't know what hit them.

Once or twice he'd receive a complaint about the termination of someone's contract or their repositioning to another department, he'd call them to his office just to see the look on their faces when he torched their letters into brittle ash. "Deal with it." He'd say, up until now nobody dared to talk back.

That's why it was boring. That's why he had a lot of time to kill.

He was too efficient, the work done by a lazy pencil pusher in eight hours could be done by him in two. And then he'd have the rest of the day for himself.

A familiar scent pulled him out of his thoughts, _boop, reset_! His head whipped around to look even before the implications of it registered; he's getting careless when things concerned her. It was dangerous, one of these days he will turn around and not find her, or she'll be there on someone else's arm.

"Hinata." He stopped three feet away from the traditional candy booth she'd been shopping at, not because of the sickeningly sweet sugar powder swirling right into his nose, but because of the child she held in her arms.

"Ah! Good afternoon!" She smiled brightly, the kid that rubbed their face in her neck had dark hair and hooded eyes, and seemed far more comfortable against her chest than anyone ever should.

"Did someone prank Hanabi to turn her into a baby? I know an expert or two who could help." Namely Naruto and his prankster apprentice who had motive for revenge.

She laughed and turned the frowning bundle of spit and snot to look at him. The red irises startled him more than he let on. If it hadn't been lighter a few shades, if he hadn't been the only remaining Uchiha, he would have thought she'd mothered a child with Sharingan. "This is Kurenai san's daughter, I'm babysitting today, so I thought a walk would do her good."

He hoped nobody noticed how hard he had to swallow to get the lump out of his throat. "Yeah, she's peeing herself with excitement."

This Kurenai person needed to be told not to drop their responsibilities on other people, namely the one person he wanted to spend uninterrupted time with.

Super private uninterrupted time, preferably an hour or two set aside just for the summoning ritual of a little person with actual sharingan.

"She's just tired, I think she missed her naptime. Come on, say hello to Sasuke oniichan! Say: konnichiwa!" Hinata tried it a few times, but the little girl stubbornly shook her head no and hid her face in the bright scarf. Her displeased whines were muffled between the cloth and having her back patted. "I'm sorry, maybe some other time she'll say it."

He never really cared for children, and until recently he didn't even care for making them. Up until now they were a foreign entity reserved for later contemplation when -and if- he decided reviving his clan was a thing that needed to happen. They were little humans, though, weren't they? Not just eating and pooping, they were capable of human emotions like distrusting strangers and having a bad day.

How conceited of them, they can't even control their bladders and still they expect others to love them unconditionally.

Playing god these last few weeks had been too addicting, now he wanted to remove this child from her current post and make her go somewhere else.

Anywhere else.

His memory of those soft hands rubbing his back was hazy, it needed a sober refresher sometime soon. "What are you buying, are they giving you a bad price?"

The woman behind the counter stiffened and attempted to defend her business, Hinata touched his arm to keep him from intimidating the poor merchant any further. "I was asking how they were made, that's all! Please don't be upset!"

The lady offered them samples, but he wouldn't willingly taste something sweet enough to feed a demon. His stomach rolled into a tight knot when Hinata picked a pear-shaped pastry and popped it whole into her mouth. Normal people slice that into slivers with a dessert knife and wash it down with bitter tea to dull out the sweetness. This girl was not from this mortal realm. "I saw your dad a while ago."

"Really? I hope it wasn't too uncomfortable."

It was hard not to flinch at the smell of sweet red beans with her every word, plus points that she tried to cover her mouth like a real lady. "He gave me gardening advice."

"Oh, okay. He's really good with flowers, actually, too bad he wouldn't admit it. Ne, do you want to try this one? It's good! No? Well, I like it, I think I'll buy some for Kurenai." She shifted the sleepy child up in her arms as if the growing heaviness was nothing to address. "Excuse me, ma'am, I'd like a small assortment. This, and umm… Two of the strawberry ones. Is this shredded coconut?"

Against his better judgment, he grabbed the heavy girl from her arms to carry her against his shoulder. Seeing Hinata literally bend over backwards was almost painful to watch, but for her to actually go about her purchase in such a posture was just outrageous. Instead of telling him no, or that he didn't know how to hold babies –which he obviously didn't- she gently took his free hand and placed it on the small back for support.

It was strange, he'd never done something so simple yet demanding of intense focus before. No chakra shifting was required, he didn't need any special jutsu or equipment to make it happen, he just needed hands, a straight back, and the knowledge that the kid might move randomly at any moment and fall straight to her death.

He'd held cats, grown people, snakes, hawks, dead bodies, all on the same shoulder. Not once did he care about a small nose rubbing on the hard ridges of zipper on his jacket, or a warm breath filtering through his scarf into his neck. The longer he stood there, soaking it all in, the clearer he felt the small heartbeat resonating through fragile ribs like a butterfly sleeping in a spider's web.

That was a nice mental image, he should use it in an illusion sometime.

"Thank you!" Hinata accepted the carefully arranged containers in the bag and turned to take the weight off him, he wouldn't let her. "Well, I'm going back to Kurenai's place, there's not much I can do out here when she's asleep. It's a few blocks down."

"I'll carry her there, wouldn't wanna smash those pretty pink desserts."

Hinata fell into step with him without repeating the pink-vs-purple argument, leading him away from the crowd and in the direction of the older neighborhoods. "I'm not sure if you're upset about the sweets or if it's something else. Did Hanabi say something to you?"

His only encounters with the girl were acknowledging snorts in the doorway of their building. "Why would the shrimp say anything to me?"

"I don't know, it's like…" Hinata revised her words carefully, just when it looked like she'd decided not to say anything, she tried again. "I know you're busy in the Hokage tower, but you stopped showing up at the teashop and maybe you stopped reading the book, which is okay… But it's almost like you stopped wanting to talk to me, too. Is that it?"

"No." Yes. If there was one thing he remembered clearly without fail, was her mouth repeating the word 'like' a hundred times. How did she expect him to look at those moisturized lips and not want to kiss them? To see her in that poorly tied obi and not want to undo it, to know she cared for him enough to tuck him in bed and not want to pull her under the covers to fall asleep on her arm, to taste what food she could whip up in ten minutes and not want to live on it for the rest of his life? "Why? Is there something specific you wanted to talk to me about?"

Her cheeks were pink, but they were always pink when it was cold. "No, not at all. Is she heavy, do you want me to take her?"

"It's alright." He swallowed back conversation starters about romance novels and Camelia flowers and children, how he wasn't in his best mental condition when she was around, about lonely breakfasts and cold nights and empty living rooms. He finally found a safer topic when the sleeping kid on his shoulder sighed and shifted her head to the other side. "So who is this Kurenai?"

"She used to be my teacher when I was a Genin, but she retired early because she got married." The happiness in her words and on her face gave him contact-giddiness; was she that hopeful about throwing away a career just for a metal ring on the finger? "She really took care of me when I needed it the most, I owe her a lot. She's like a mother to me. Too bad she lost her husband too soon, she's at his family's house right now for the anniversary. You know Konohamaru kun? Her late husband was his uncle."

"Hmm? Your mother is dead, too, right?" It took a lot not to cringe at his own lack of tact.

Strangely, Hinata wasn't offended. "She is. She died from the strain of childbirth." Her voice softened, "I'm afraid that's probably how I'll go, too…"

"You don't know that." Stop talking about death when I'm trying to picture you in a white kimono!

"I do. I'm very weak in the heart, just a little stress and I fall ill for days. I'm not healthy enough for bearing children, that's a part of why Hanabi was chosen to be the next clan leader. She's stronger in general, too, her Byakugan and her spirit, she will change things. Plus if the elders' wishes come true, if she married someone from the Sarutobi clan, it will make history." She probably thought he couldn't hear the misery in her voice, or see through the wistful smile she tried to pass off as nonchalant. "It's this building here, I'll carry her if she's too heavy."

"She's not, I'll take her inside for you."

"It's on the third floor!"

"And I can move a mountain with my eyes. Let's go."

"You're impossible!" She led him in with a quiet giggle, punching the security numbers on the door and holding it open until he passed through at leisure. Upstairs, in a well-kept apartment, he was instructed to set the sleeping child on a soft blanket spread on the living room couch.

There were toys everywhere, colorful and noisy, elephants and cats and plastic cakes with whistles for strawberries. Outside the circle of chaos, the polished wood floor sprinkled with animal stickers led to an open, compact kitchen where Hinanta set the bag of sweets on the counter and unzipped her jacket. She must have thought he didn't notice how difficult it was for her to catch her breath, or how she leaned on the counter for stability until the lightheadedness ebbed away.

He did, but if he got any closer he would take her in his arms and that would freak her out even more.

Or maybe not… She was never quite as flustered with his touch as she was with Naruto...

All the more reason not to get anymore involved.

Slowly, as if nothing had gone wrong, she set up for tea and sliced chilled apples in a bowl. It never occurred to her how charming she looked standing on tiptoes to reach a box of biscuits on one of the higher shelves, or the unintentional blow to his focus she dealt just by the accidental flash of cotton-soft stomach under the snagged shirt.

A thick soup of envy and frustration bubbled in his chest. _This _was what he should have gotten when he came out a war hero, a cozy kitchen packed with beverages and snacks, an attractive woman who casually shared with him her anxieties and didn't over analyze his every word, a sleeping child rolling around in happiness and wealth, away from the horrors of the world outside.

Not his empty life, not his thankless job, not the loud voices screaming in his ears that he'd committed too many sins to deserve any kindness.

"The rice crackers are sprinkled with sugar, would you like some sesame cookies instead?" Hinata set down a tray of tea, apples, and individually packaged biscuits.

It suddenly became difficult to fight back the burning in the back of his throat, the monsters clawing inside his chest, the blinding rage that ached in the base of his eyeballs. "I'm busy I have to go."

"Oh, okay. Thank you! It was nice seeing you today."

Tell her tell her tell her tell h "See ya."

The door shut with finality, he remembered very little else but the importance of putting one foot in front of the other around the whole village until it was night, until he was back at his desk in the tower, streets and neighborhoods away from what he couldn't have, inches away from all the seals and wax that sent his family away.

The agriculture department in the tower went missing that evening, some say it was moved elsewhere by a mob of strawberries, others who had more experience negating illusions speculate it went up in black flames.

The Hokage and her council made a collective groan of exasperation, the elders of the Hyuuga breathed a collective sigh of relief: Uchiha Sasuke was bored again.


	20. Chapter 20

**My One In A Million**

Chapter Twenty

Hyuuga Hinata was good at reading people.

It was her hobby, in fact, one she wouldn't openly admit in fear of being seen as a stalker or a closet pervert.

When nobody was looking she'd she allowed herself to look at people around her and imagine what kinds of lives they were leading. That lady from the apothecary, for example, was honest and social most of the time unless it was someone she hated. Her husband died in the war so now she makes and sells the medicine herself with the help of her reluctant teenager son, they have their bad days but they also have days where they buy flowers and visit graves in peace.

She didn't know their names, but in her mind, every face corresponded to a story being unfolded one day after the other.

Temari, also, she comes to the village every chance she could get even if it meant accepting low-paying missions to deliver a simple document or accompany an ambassador. At first it looked like she just wanted to get away from the Sand, but upon closer inspection and several drunk confessions, it was made clear that she was seeing someone in this village and this was the only acceptable way to meet him without raising any flags.

Ino and Sakura were having the best time of their youth, planning their weddings, competing over whose will make the most impact, leading successful careers as powerful kunoichi. It showed, they had their ups and downs, but their happiness was genuine and one didn't require Byakugan to see they could not be more satisfied with their lives.

And then there's Uchiha Sasuke.

It was nearly impossible to untangle her personal feelings from this boy's story. He always walked around with that dead expression and nonchalant attitude like he was the coolest person in town, one would assume he was really empty inside and this air of conceit was his only method of amounting to anything. Nope. He'd done amazing things in his life to gloat about and chose not to, he had an eventful past that could get him anywhere he wanted through sympathy and guilt-tripping but he doesn't mention it at all. The only reason he is single is because most women are too intimidated to hold a conversation or be in a closed room with him in fear of getting murdered. His only friend was the most powerful ninja in the village and the future Hokage, one with a connection like that would feel compelled to use it, but he didn't; he refused to be promoted into a council member or demoted to be signed on for S-Ranked missions.

He had no other friends, and when he wasn't with Naruto, he doesn't seem to mind being alone.

Once or twice he'd shown her a side of himself that was vulnerable and kind, only to hide it away and pretend it never happened.

Some days she knew exactly how his day was, by the amount of focus in his eyes and the tightness around his mouth, by the flow of his chakra and his motivation to give away words, other times he would be an unreadable pillar of crystal whose surface she couldn't even scratch. Sometimes he'll come back from a good spar with Naruto and unknowingly infect her with his enthusiasm and good mood with barely a look or a tease. Other times all he had to do was shake snow out of his sandal and look away for her to know not to approach him about trivial things.

He was always like that, moody and self-involved. It didn't take away any of his compassion or worth, and to an extent it filled her with confidence that everyone is allowed to have bad days and somehow still have friends who understood.

Lately, though, it was becoming harder and harder to figure him out.

On the outside he was still the same, he spoke to her in that monotone voice and bullied Hanabi if they ever met in the hallway; yet there was something new and cold about the way he looked at her. Like she was a piece of unfinished handiwork he couldn't bring himself to work on anymore.

Sometimes she'd catch him staring at her across a street with the angriest look on his face which he'll wipe off the moment their eyes met, other times he'll talk to her for a whole ten minutes without moving a brow or switching from his tone of indifference.

He tolerated her less, too. Considering there was a time when they'd sit for hours in his hospital room, or for a solid hour in the café; now he didn't have time to sit with her for five minutes. She'd invite him to her place for tea, or to join her with her friends for dinner, there was even that one time she invited herself to his place when she was out of tea, he'd refused to honor any of her wishes by claiming his schedule was too busy.

Slowly, over the course of exactly eleven days, something inside her began to wilt.

She didn't know what she'd done wrong, or if someone told him to stay away from her –it wasn't too much of a stretch considering all the overprotective men and women in her life- it wasn't even clear if it related to her at all. Maybe he was busy at work, maybe it was a date close to someone's death anniversary and he wasn't feeling up for chats, perhaps it was his way of taking a break from the world, wasn't he a loner by nature after all?

If he was, and if it was really not at all about her, then why did he suddenly gain a lot of fans?

She'd seen him on several occasions going out with representatives from other villages and guests of the higher ups for some celebration or another, sometimes with their whole entourage of guards and secretaries and lackeys. Entertainment girls flocked around them like bees on spring flowers, serving them tea and drinks and offering their services, draping their limbs all over him and once or twice, someone found it appropriate to seat herself in his lap.

He let them.

He didn't like to be touched, didn't he?

Common courtesy meant nothing to him, didn't it?

Politics weren't even his favorite thing to talk about, why was he in charge of entertaining the politicians?

It would be nice if he was doing it because he enjoyed it, what man wouldn't like powerful ambassadors and beautiful entertainers hanging on his every word? What shinobi wouldn't want connections with military personnel from other countries, and easy girls to take his mind off the stressful life of a warrior?

Did she read him wrong all this time…?

She couldn't tell, no matter how good she was at reading people, Uchiha Sasuke was becoming impossible to figure out.

It saddened her that an important friend like him was slipping away, but unlike the time Naruto nearly died, or when Neji was hauled into the emergency room clinically dead, or when Hanabi was crashing in a hospital bed and nobody could do anything; Sasuke had _made_ the choice to distance himself. He wasn't dying or sick or helplessly unconscious, he was making the informed decision to exclude her from his life without telling her why.

It was his life, a defeated voice in her head sighed, maybe you over did it with involving yourself too much. He was a private person and you annoyed him too many times for comfort by invading his personal space. You touched a person who didn't want to be touched, hugged him when he was obviously opposed to someone getting that close, bought him things he didn't ask to have and repeatedly forced your decoration choices on his real estates.

You talked to him about your personal things when he was just making small talk, you started to get too comfortable and disrespectful that you must have crossed an invisible line. The boy even kissed you and smirked about it to show you how dangerously close you were getting, that if you didn't stop he might just start pushing back to show you how uncomfortable it is to be repeatedly insulted.

She'd only felt upset about the whole kiss thing after Hanabi convinced her it was unacceptable for someone to steal another's first kiss.

Now, a lifetime later, it hadn't been that bad…

It was actually pretty sweet of him to want to cheer her up considering how he didn't enjoy touching people, considering that he barely noticed if she was ever late, that even when she'd hide away from him for days he wouldn't notice her absence at all.

When it's all said and done, she couldn't help but feel it was her fault.

It made her sick to the stomach that she couldn't even ask about it.

One, because Uchiha Sasuke was really busy these days and didn't have time for even a lobby chat. Two, because now she was the one who lost the courage to look him in the eye and be casual.

If she spoke to him again she might accidentally bow her head or add a polite prefix when he'd specifically told her not to, or worst: disrespect him and do neither!

And then he'll be offended and hate her some more!

There was no right answer anymore, and that frightened her more than anything else in the world.

* * *

For the last few days she hadn't left home because her stomach hadn't been feeling too well, she must have had something bad in that new restaurant she and her team dined at. If only she didn't have to leave the house and meet Ino for a sizing session in the dress shop, she would have moped around in front of the tv for a few days more.

She didn't want to go, she wanted to stay in her apartment under the toasty blanket all day. It was an important event, though, and Hanabi was out, and the sun hadn't set yet, she ran out of excuses so she put on a coat and left the apartment.

Hinata regretted it almost immediately, because outside was cold, because her stomach knotted at the thought of taking her clothes off in a dressing room, but mostly because Sasuke was headed in this direction and there was no way to avoid him.

He was bringing someone home, a beautiful tall girl who was dressed in a snug shirt and impossibly short shorts and who seemed to be on personal terms with him, she touched his arm affectionately as if she'd done it a hundred times before.

Maybe if she kept walking she could pass by them and they wouldn't notice her, she thought, but the moment his eyes found her she ended up bowing to them. "G- Good afternoon!" she only let herself cringe after she passed and they couldn't see her face.

"Hyuuga."

Nooo!

He probably didn't notice how embarrassed she was, because when she peeked over her shoulder he was still as blank-faced as ever. "Rent is due today but you have until the weekend to bring it in. Just leave the envelope in the mail box."

"Okay…" Was he telling her not to bother him tonight, was that it? "Thank you."

Her feet walked her away but her ears were still focused to the conversation behind, the woman was teasing him about how frightening he was, how he was always fit for the role of the bad cop and how she'd like it if he bullied her too in private.

Of course… He was a popular, successful young man. Even if he spared her a while of his time, he will always end up with someone better. That beauty with her impossibly vivid red hair and those slender long legs that didn't fear the cold was probably also a temporary form of amusement, he will find someone even more impressive, a girl who was powerful, smart, healthy, and drop dead gorgeous. He attracted the best people, it wouldn't be too long until he found the best one to bear his children, and then he will disappear.

From the apartment, from the village, from her life.

She didn't mind, really, as long as he was happy. It's just that her days were going to be less exciting without him in it. There will be no one to talk to about novels or flowers or the silly things Naruto did, no one to share knowing looks with when someone spoke the word 'pink' or 'purple', she would probably miss the silence the most; he was the only one she didn't have to worry about starting or finishing a conversation with.

"Why do you look so down on such a great day?" Kurenai and the baby caught up to her a few blocks down the road to the shopping district, it was a relief, she didn't want to think anymore.

"Nothing, just a little tired." Hinata smiled and picked up the little babbling girl in her arms. "How are you?"

"I'm great. I can't wait to see what horrible dresses Ino is gonna make us wear today." Her smile warmed at the horrified reaction and she held Hinata's arm as they walked. "I can't wait until you get married, you deserve to be happy, too."

"I'm not really in a hurry for relationships. There's honor in dying a virgin, too."

"Don't say that. There's a great guy out there who is perfect for you, I'm sure of it. Just because your first love didn't end up being your last doesn't mean you should take it to the grave!"

"I know! I just- really… It's not a top priority to me." Although it did warm her heart that Kurenai had a general idea of what usually put her down. "It's not like I'll make a strong aristocrat's wife or a healthy mother. You know… Look at me, just a little cold and I'm down for almost week."

"It's okay to take your time when you're sick, you've been acting strong too much lately, don't think I hadn't noticed."

Strange… She hadn't been _acting_ strong at all, it was just that she hadn't been feeling sickly until recently. "I'm okay, really."

"Good, you'll need your strength. If there's one thing I know about Ino is that she's really scary when she's stressed, and Chouji isn't exactly the best punching bag if you know what I mean, he's very peace oriented and doesn't shove back, so it'll be us she vents her frustrations on."

"I thought it would be like that, it's why I didn't want to agree to this honorable maid thing…" Hinata smiled to the baby and accepted the many slobbery kisses.

"You mean maid of honor? Well, it was nice of you to agree, she's trying to bring everyone together again and having you there with her might encourage a lot of others to attend. It helps that you're a Hyuuga, but it's also because you draw in a lot of others, too. Neji's team, the kids who hang around your sister, Uchiha Sasuke, you know."

Oh, Ino will be in for a big disappointment if she was hoping for Sasuke to show up on her behalf. "I see, I never noticed…" Even if it sounded like she was just being used for her connections, she will go because it was an important event for the whole village, and because it was the sign off to an era: They were becoming responsible adults, one couple at a time.

* * *

"Are you sure about this?"

"Yeah, definitely. Just get in already!"

"What if it's too small? I don't think it'll fit the way you imagi-"

"Just take your clothes off and try it, if you don't like it we'll figure something out."

"I don't want to take my clothes off!"

"It's not gonna work otherwise!"

"Even if it fit there's no-! I'm just not built for this to be comfortable! The cleavage area is too big!"

"Just put the dress on, Hinata, this conversation is getting really suggestive!" Ino shoved the emerald garment into the girl's arms and pushed her behind the curtain into the dressing room. "The bra has to go, too."

"Eeh? Whyyy?"

"Because it's a sweetheart cut, you can't have underwear showing up on a sweetheart cut!"

"Let the girl wear what she wants, Ino, gosh… I didn't make you suffer this much on _my_ wedding, did I?" Kurenai was on the bench playing with the toddler in her lap, defending the one behind the curtain when all she had to offer were squeaks and sighs. "How does it look, Hinata?"

"I'm putting it on now."

The full-body mirror in front of her reflected how short the dress was, her shoes would need to be changed but for now she was in standard sandals which didn't really fit with the outfit. Her legs were scandalously exposed all the way to the middles of her thighs, the frilly skirts flared out playfully while the middle squeezed her stomach into what must be the currently-fashionable hourglass shape. Her breasts were too big for the built-in cups and were squished uncomfortably, not only did they look like they would spill out if she as much as bowed in greeting, the dark scar between them was hard to miss, the memento from the injury that nearly killed her in the Chuunin exams was not something she wanted to put on display.

Even to her own eyes it was dreadful, she couldn't help but hide from the horrifying sight with her hands on her face and will it away.

"M- Maybe green isn't my color after all…" She stumbled on the words, trying hard to find good points in the choice to please the bride and coming up with none.

she wanted to cry.

"Well it works for Temari and Sakura, how bad can it be? Come out, let me see!"

"I- I don't want to!" Her toes curled in embarrassment, "It's too revealing!"

"Well we can't agree without seeing it!"

She didn't want to, not really, but there was literally nothing to do about Ino's stubbornness. She pushed the curtain just enough to walk through and used the hanging fabric's edge to cover her chest. "See!"

Temari laughed and got up to offer a helping hand with the girl's hair that went every which way. "Well she's got a point, I'm a leg kinda gal and I still think it was too revealing. Cut her some slack, you're not forgetting how long your ceremony's gonna be, are you? Hours! She'll catch her death of cold before the night is over."

Sakura had to skip and said she had work so it would be best if she had her dress fitted on another day. Everyone knew it was an excuse to be with Naruto on one of his few days off, so it was just Temari, Ino and Kurenai in the dressing room hallway.

"The color could be changed, too." Kurenai's comment was aimed at the bride who seemed about to argue in favor of the dress anyway. "Something pink or purple would compliment her better, don't you think?"

Ino worked her jaws in thought, "That would make her look different! The whole theme is spring symmetry!"

"How about we all have different colors?" Temari tried, "Hinata doesn't look too comfortable in that, and I've outgrown the peek-a-boo phase, I want clothes that actually compliment my curves, not squish them out for all to see."

"But she looks great in it, look at her! I'd brainjack a town for that cup size!" Ino tried with a hopeful smile that fell the moment the curtain was dropped to reveal the dark patch of scar running down said cups. Every woman in that hallway witnessed how this scar came to be, and for once they agreed on something without discussing it out loud. "Well… You should've said so earlier… I'll go ask the assistant if they have something else, since everyone's ganging up on me we might as well find something you _all_ like."

Hinata sighed in relief and closed the curtain to take the dress off, Temari slipped into the booth to help her with the zipper. "Don't look so down, she just wants everything to be perfect even if she had to shove us into wooden caskets."

They smiled into the mirror, Hinata kept her hands on her chest. "I don't understand why she doesn't just have a normal ceremony. Kimonos, sake and half an hour of greetings; then you go home."

"I know, right? It's what I keep telling my brothers but they won't have it, a wealthy woman deserves something bigger, they say. Pff, I already get to wake up in my darling's bed, whatever kind of ceremony they throw isn't gonna change that."

Her first reaction was to blush and try to get her mind off it, and then when the dress loosened around her ribs and Temari turned to allow her some privacy, she whispered, "Is it nice?"

The blonde swept her gaze across the open back of the dress. "Yeah it's nice from the back, it's too tight though, I can already see the ridges it leaves behind."

"I meant… Waking up with him…" She covered her hot face with her shaking hands.

Shutting the curtain again, she grabbed Hinata's jacket and dropped it on her shoulders to keep her warm. "Realistically? No, not really. He snores, his mouth smells like stale tobacco, and he always rolls over on his stomach at night. I'm not a big fan of getting tangled up when I sleep, either, so in the morning we end up on either side of the futon like strangers." She laughed quietly. "But I like him, I like that I'm myself with him, I like that he likes me and everything that comes with me, good _and_ bad. It's not that I haven't been popular in the Sand, I've had other boyfriends before Shikamaru who don't live a thousand miles away, some were even easier to handle; none of them made me this happy. It's only nice because I love him, so I tolerate the things I don't like."

She peeked through two fingers at the mirror. "How do you know?"

"I made a list."

She parted two other fingers to look at the reflection, Temari looked undeniably content by simply talking about her darling, that kind of happiness must be great to have. "How did you know he's the one?"

At that she shrugged. "Hell if I know, he might _not_ be the one, but I'd rather work on something that could end up exactly what I want than wait for the perfect one to show up fifteen years late with a handful of crazy exes. There might not be a perfect one at all, you know. In the Sand, the wishy-washy concept of love at first sight, and soul mates, and star-crossed lovers and all that dust; it's a joke. You don't just walk into a store and find the perfect weapon sitting on the shelf under a spotlight! You go in and try a bunch and get what you think fits your personal needs, and even then you have to work on perfecting them every day. You work on it until it feels right in your hand, until the curves are comfortable and familiar. Until one day you realize there's one that just kinda ends up in your kunai pouch every day, one that you automatically reach for first without realizing it. It looks like every other one but if you went to the shop and got another from the original pile, it's never the same."

Ino peeked into the curtain, flush in the face as if she'd been running. "Hey weapon geek, remind me to introduce you to Tenten. For today, though, we're girly girls! Here, try this one." and then left to tell Kurenai in another dressing room that her kid nearly waddled out of the store and that they needed to go fetch her from the staff room.

Hinata didn't feel too embarrassed in front of Temari, for some reason the blonde kunoichi made a point of not looking when she was particularly indecent, and probably knew too much of the world of adults to make a big deal about a prude like her. This dress was also green, thankfully it had shoulder straps that supported the straight-line cleavage and the higher waist. It was an elegant design in the correct size around the waist that touched the floor in long silky skirts. It was good because it gave the impression that she was taller, however, it had the same problem as the one before it: the amount of skin showing was still too much for comfort.

"You're so pretty, how are you still single?" Temari joked as she zipped her up and tied the silk waist ribbon at the back.

"I'm not…" Hinata blushed, trying hard not to look at the mirror to see her exposed shoulders and the curve of tightly packed breasts.

"You're not single? Really? Who is he?"

"I'm- I wasn't! I meant- I'm not pretty enough to draw any one's attention in that way… Not at all." Not compared to the goddess-like redhead, anyway… Light-haired fierce girls had it easy, they attracted a lot of attention to choose from, meanwhile she was only blessed with a noble family name and not-too-bad teeth.

"You are, you're smoking hot! Even my brothers who weren't too interested in Konoha girls asked me about you. They gave up the moment they knew you're the Hyuuga leader's eldest. It's unfortunate how much you gotta go through to marry someone from another village just because you were born first." The bitterness in her voice alluded to some personal resentment of the concept.

Was she not _allowed_ to marry a foreigner?

"Why is getting married so complicated…? Isn't finding love hard enough?" She slipped her fingers into the opening of the arm to pull out a scratchy price tag from digging into her skin, the little rolls of flesh under her arm gave her one more reason to dislike this whole fitting thing. "I'm really not built for these gowns, I'm spilling out all over!"

The blonde looked at her this way and that, turned her in front of the mirror so she could look at herself from different angles. "Sweetheart, one day you'll find someone who will want to touch and kiss and worship every little inch of you that you're insecure about, and _then_ you'll see yourself for what you really are: drop dead gorgeous."

Temari would never know why Hinata's eyes filled with tears at that statement, but was wise enough to excuse herself and leave the dressing room to allow her some privacy to slip back into regular clothes.

* * *

Ino, Sakura and Temari were the fiercest kunoichi in this bar, each one ordered a drink just as ferocious except for her.

Hinata was the weenie who ordered warm water with a slice of lemon.

Her indigestion was cured only to make way for a serious case of the flu she contacted from Kurenai's kid kissing her on the mouth, tonight was the first time she left the apartment in days and only because Hanabi pushed her into it, saying she needed some fresh air if she wanted to avoid turning into a sallow vampire.

It was girl's night, the very first one and probably the last considering the Sand kunoichi would be leaving tomorrow.

She knew that behind her back they called it bride's night, and only invited her because they thought she, too, was engaged. The closest bride to her wedding date for now was Ino, she and Sakura always competed on silly things like clothes and marks at school, but now they are competing over something bigger; wedding grandeur.

If, by the end of the both weddings, one turns out more impressive than the other, she who'd made the best impression wins. The prize was bragging rights, naturally, till the end of time.

It was ridiculous considering how terribly expensive weddings are in the foreign style that they chose to go with, but everyone knew it was time for a little hope after the war. A little gossip here, increased merchandising there, tightened security and employment sprinkled around; it was good for everyone.

Temari was engaged to Shikamaru, he was too lazy to plan troublesome things and she was the Kazekage's sister who needed to have a grand ceremony even if she didn't want one. She started this girl's-night-out tradition by saying she might just stay engaged forever.

Up until now it sounded like a good idea, it was a nice chance to wash away the smell of menthol rub, style her hair, and break out the new shoes she never got the chance to wear.

However…

"Choji loves food more than me!" Ino moaned miserably after the fourth shot and instigated another round of a drinking game so conveniently named 'loser shares a bridal secret'.

Hinata was starting to feel drunk on diluted citrus even if she'd only downed half the glass. It was one thing to play drinking games with three girls, but more often than not she is reminded that they were also three girls who'd had their eyes on Uchiha Sasuke at some point in their lives. The first time she lost she told them she was still a virgin, but they booed and groaned because firstly: everyone knew that already! and second: it didn't give them any dirt on the boy himself.

Now would've been her chance to recover, only now was also the moment she realized that she didn't really need their bridal blessings, not really, not when she wasn't an upcoming bride. "I need the bathroom."

"Awww!" "But- But! The secreeeet!"

Temari was the best in holding her liquor, so it was her who'd noticed the obvious dodge. "Wow he's really rubbing off on you!"

"That jerk!" Ino sniffled, her perfect makeup was starting to go runny around the eyes.

"I loved him with all my heart, too… He never noticed me." Sakura sighed into the mouth of her bottle to create a silly whoosh sound. "I should have known I'd end up with the guy who confessed to me first."

"At least he _told_ you he liked you, mine is only awake long enough to grab a smoke. You'd expect a back rub or a hearty confession after all the effort I put into it, but no." Temari waved goodbye to the confused Hyuuga. "Go pee, honey, we'll be here when you come back."

"You're both dummies! You put out too easily! I'm saving myself until after the wedding." Ino peered around, bleary eyed. "It'd better be worth the wait."

Hinata ran off when it seemed like they were going to try to convince Ino that guys with massive food appetites also had considerable appetites for other activities.

She washed up in the restrooms and rolled a tablet of medicine under her tongue, having spent a few days in bed with mild fever was taking its toll on her heart, for the third time this evening she felt like she would faint for no reason.

Hinata spent a good few minutes looking at herself in the dirty mirror in wait for the medicine to kick in, it was like looking at an old friend who grew up familiar, but different.

Everything she saw was hers: her face, her thick sweater and knitted hat, her scarred knuckles, the inconvenient distribution of fat deposits in her body, her teeth, her ears, her eyelids that gained an extra fold when she was tired.

Under the usual skin and hair was a person trying to be different, the push up bra was a little uncomfortable but it was worth the pain; in this sweater it made it look like her waist wasn't as thick. This was the first time she tried higher heels, too. Sakura and Ino always looked dashing when they were dressed up like this and, thanks to being forced to buy new shoes, she managed to find a nice pair in one of the shop windows to finally try it out.

She could pull off the girly girl, right?

Her voice was already small, her pinky peeked up when she held a cup to her mouth; it was a good start.

Though according to fashion magazines, being natural didn't count as pretty, you had to look undeniably feminine without showing how much hard work you put into it.

This was a test run, of course. She didn't want anybody of importance to see the asymmetric wing of her eyeliner, or the fact that her nails weren't filed into stylish ovals, or that she tried extra hard to curl her thick hair into waves only to have it stand straight and limp as it always did.

Maybe after she mastered walking in these shoes and painting the lines on her eyes, she would be pretty enough.

Not for anyone's approval, of course, it wasn't like she was trying to get unwanted attention.

Just that… Well, after all the heartache, she realized how many things she was missing out on by always being a fighter first and a girl second. This wasn't too bad, was it?

It wasn't even about Naruto anymore, yes there were still a lot of issues regarding him she couldn't get over, but right now she'd made her mind that love and marriage didn't rate high on her list.

What Temari said in the dressing room was a wakeup call, how did she expect to find the right one without looking for him?

It's why Naruto didn't fit with her, wasn't it? She never had the courage to put herself out there and change him and have him change her, not enough, not like Sakura. That's why Sakura was the one wearing his ring, they had more time together, they fought together, they shared more things in common, they were _compatible_.

She wanted someone like that, someone who fit so well she wouldn't even notice how comfortable he'd become until he was already the first choice in her kunai pouch. Someone who would accept every part of her, good or bad.

Someone who wouldn't toss her aside like an old toy…

"I don't know who you're thinking of, but you'd better dump him if he makes you that miserable." A middle-aged woman who just stumbled through the rest room door leaned against the doorframe, looking left and right in confusion. "I'm a little tipsy, would you be a dear and help me find the exit?"

This woman was a few levels more than 'tipsy', Hinata held her arm and guided her out of the small bathroom, through the crowded bar and to the double doors that led outside. It was a recently established corner shop, girls frequented these newer areas because they were trendy and full of single boys from other villages. It also promoted dangerous drinking habits and meetups with likewise smashed strangers.

Outside, the lady turned to offer her thanks only to finally recognize who it was that had led her out, she grabbed Hinata's face to look closely into her eyes. "Wow, are you a Hyuuga? I finally get to see Byakugan for myself!"

Without warning, a blade appeared in front of the woman's throat and a ribbed, protective cocoon surround Hinata and whoever was pressing themselves against her back.

Everything froze: the woman, her heart, the sword, the breathing of the chest behind her, the men and women on the street. Almost as if time itself had stopped.

Maybe it did, it was Uchiha Sasuke after all.

"Blink one more time and you're gone." He growled, his voice rumbled against her spine like thunder.

Where did he even come from?!

The woman all but fainted on the spot, nobody was brave enough to ask if she was thrown into an illusion or if it was just a heart attack. Masked ANBU sentry hopped down from their posts on the roofs to carry the foreigner away to a hospital -or interrogation, who knows- and all was quiet again.

Too quiet.

"Why didn't you kill her?"

She turned around once the deadly ribs disappeared. "She didn't seem like a bad person!"

"That's not good enough!" Sasuke stopped himself before his voice got too loud, before anyone could tense up for battle. "What the hell are you even doing out here?"

Why was _he_ here? Why was _he_ angry with her? Was the woman from another village he needed to be watchful of? Was he using this occasion to show his abilities and intimidate the foreigners? Was he here with someone and felt the need to scream in her face to prove what a big mean man he was?

The rush of adrenaline made her lightheaded, what a waste of a good calming tablet. "Please, let's not make a scene."

"I'll not make a scene, but next time make sure it's 'hit now ask questions later', not 'have your eyeballs plucked out without lifting a finger', alright?" He slid his sword back in the sheath with a click, released a hot breath and then asked in a quieter voice. "Are you hurt?"

She couldn't look him in the eye, not when he was making that angry face. "No."

His thumb swiped the red-tinted moisturizer off her lips not too gently. "The hell is this."

"It's lipstick!"

His mouth curved down. "It doesn't suit you."

Was this how it'll be between them from now on, broken pieces of conversation stolen in an angry rush?

The crowd was still eyeing them curiously, there was no way she could say anything to him here, not now, not when something painfully hot was trying to climb up her throat and latch onto his face; anger or questions or a cupful of diluted lemon water.

"I'm gonna go back to the group now." She excused herself with a hasty bow and ran off without waiting for his response.

Inside, it seemed like nothing had changed, drunk people played games, waitresses slipped back and forth through the tables, music and the clinking of glass filled the air with excitement.

"Hey, you're back! What's all the noise outside?" The sultry Sand warrior pushed the chair out for her and instantly forgot the topic, "Oh oh! Guess what? A bunch of guys came over to flirt thinking we were single, who do you think was the most popular?"

She didn't know, but Temari was the one dressed most provocatively. "You?"

"You! You silly girl! They had to wait for you to step out to ask about you, hah! See I told you: puckered lips and puckered tits get things done! They were pretty hot, too. Guys from the Tea country are always gentlemanly, too bad it's disrespectful in their culture to sow a turnip seed in a rice paddy."

Hinata smiled politely and eased into the chair, wondering when would be a good time to notify her friends that if those guys were part of the crowd outside, they're probably not coming back.

She refused to acknowledge her grand relief that she'd been too late to meet them, or that she only sipped the stale drink in her cup to smother the tingling aftereffect of a thumb on her lips.

* * *

"But I don't understand! I was assigned on that mission a week ago, why would I be replaced today just as they are leaving?" Hinata accepted the scroll from the busy woman on the desk who could only spare it a glance, the dispatch department in the Hokage tower was always busy at this time of day as most teams departed and returned around these few hours of evening.

The woman sighed in frustration and mumbled under her breath how everything got messed up all the time. "Look, I don't know. I just timestamp the reports I receive and hand out mission scriptures. If you have something to whine about go to the main office upstairs, it's their seal they used to sign the switch."

"What office would that be?"

"It's a big door at the end of the hallway on floor ten, you can't miss it." As an afterthought, the woman thought it kind of her to add, "Don't take it too personally, by the way. You're not the first, and you definitely won't be the last."

Hinata didn't quite understand why she would say that, not until she knocked on the door at the end of the hallway to the tenth floor and saw the one behind the massive desk.

"Sasuke… San."

He didn't even look up. "I'm busy."

The first reaction to his voice was a sudden punch-like pain in her stomach, and then it climbed up to clog her throat. She swallowed heavily and closed the door behind her. "Good afternoon. May I ask? Why was I switched with Hyuuga Neji on this mission to escort the kazekage's sister to the village of Sand?"

He was busy copying information from one scroll to another, his sleeves were rolled and his Sharingan was activated as a sign of absolute focus. "Did the team depart?"

She'd left them at the gate saying that she will sort it out, but knowing Neji's protective tendencies and Temari's impatience, they were probably already on their way. "I would assume so."

He reached for the scroll, she gave it to him with a hopeful smile; it caught flame and scattered to the polished marble floor in fluttering black wisps. "Bye."

Ah…

She'd heard about this.

Rumors were around that Uchiha Sasuke was merciless, that he would pluck a man from his post and relocate him just to make his life harder, and if one tried to file a complaint the documents just _vanished_.

Was he trying to make her life harder?

Had she made it to his black list already?

Would he even spare her a moment to tell her _why_?

"I don't understand." She started, not really sure where things would go from there.

"Your request for a review is denied. Close the door behind you."

She watched the flow of his hand over the parchment through several rapid blinks, and then the words she'd been pushing back for days finally escaped. "Did I do something wrong?"

The darkness around his eyes was evident when he shot her a quick, impatient glance. "It's not personal."

This was nothing but personal! "Ne… What did I do wrong…?"

_Her days were different when he was angry at her.  
colorless and monotone...  
_

He must have missed the distress in her voice because he never stopped writing. "It's protocol. Your abilities weren't fit for that particular mission. They'll call you again when something appropriate is in."

"You don't even know my abilities." She had to swallow back all the other things she had to say because he glared at her with those rotating irises, it gave the impression that his mind was busy at work, and she didn't want to think about the bloody scenarios he was running her through in his head. "May I please request a different agent?"

"This is the head office of Human Resources, every request goes through me eventually." He was apparently finished with what he was copying, because he set both documents aside and unfurled a particularly crowded scroll to read through. "Aren't you sick? It would be ridiculous if you exposed your team's position with a sneeze."

"You don't know that!"

"You were drinking last night, too. How careless."

"It was lemon water!"

"Whatever. I've never seen someone so offend about getting a day off. The team already left, princess. Go home."

She made to leave, or at least most of her; her feet refused to budge, not even an inch. "What kind of missions will I be getting, then?" His finger stopped tracing the text for a second as he considered, when he continued reading without honoring her with a response she tried again. "Will I be stuck with C-Ranked missions as long as you're the head of office?"

"What part of _I'm busy, go home_, do you not understand?"

"All of it!" This wasn't like her, she didn't usually question her superiors this way. Sasuke was making it personal even if he said it wasn't, him not being reasonable was why she needed to put her foot down and find out why. Having the sniffles was never a valid reason to take someone out of an A-Ranked mission! "Please tell me the real reason."

He slammed his hands on the table and sat up to walk around and tower over her, his hands locked behind his back and his head held high as he stood one step away. His breath tousled the straight hairs of her fringe, the familiar scent of sunshine and campfire invaded her nose, when she looked up the red of his eyes was all she could see. "Why are you being annoying?"

She hoped he hadn't noticed the necessary gathering and swallowing of her saliva to clear her airways. Accepting the change in roles, she straightened her back and gripped her wrist behind her back. "Sir, I would like to be a useful kunoichi to this village. It is a disgrace to be disqualified from a mission on terms of being inadequate, and if that was the case I deserve a chance to fix it. If it is simply a matter of strength I would work harder, but if it is something I cannot be trained for…" Her voice wavered, and then she pushed on with sheer willpower. "If it is something my father requested of you, to protect me, please tell me so, and I will step down and discuss it with him. Please answer me this and I will not waste anymore of your valuable time."

His eyes, when she looked up from studying the repetitive weave of his shirt, were dark and hooded. "Hyuuga…"

"Sir."

He worked his jaw in aggravation, "You were the first one to defy me since I set foot in this dull village, and you continue to defy me even now."

Whaa?! When did she ever defy him before now?!

"If you're so keen on getting yourself killed, how about you sacrifice yourself to a greater cause, instead? If you're lucky, you'll live long enough to be dispatched to the desert again." A side of his mouth curved up just enough to hint at the evil within. "Hyuuga Hinata, from now on you are my assistant. I expect you to take care of everything from my personal schedule to bringing me coffee every morning. move those books into storage and bring up the next volume to each one." The mountain of books that have been dumped in the corner could fill up her bathtub, the thinnest was at least a thousand pages long. "You start right away. I'd take my cape off if I were you, storage is at the bottom floor."

The little bit of brainpower left in her that wasn't utterly blank with surprise was feeling triumphant; maybe now she can show him her abilities that served more than squinting her eyes and peeling mandarin.


	21. Chapter 21

**My One In A Million**

Chapter Twenty One:

For someone who took her off a mission by claiming she was sick, Uchiha Sasuke sure worked her like a mule.

She was in charge of his personal schedule and relaying his messages to offices on this floor. He directed her to an on-going task of crosschecking every member in the Counsel cabinet from the moment they were born till the day they were assigned in office, it was now her responsibility to bring him textbooks and references, and when he was done, return them to their proper spots on the shelves at the basement. She had her own paperwork to finish as well, there were barely enough Jounin in the village to catch up on all the activity after the war and if there was any department that needed to manage quick replies and instant responses, it was the human resources.

Every day was an occupational emergency: some shinobi injured on a mission, a kunoichi is pregnant and is requesting maternity leave, even the occasional 'I caught a cold and can't fight today' excuse that required finding a replacement. When there weren't any emergencies left, they'd catch up on the mountain of work they hadn't been able to finish all week.

The worst aspect was that it was also her job to meet whoever was displeased with their relocation or discharge, she wouldn't have minded so much if he at least mentioned _why_!

He was purposely shoving her in a corner because _how dare she talk back to him_.

It was frustrating, she barely got a chance to speak three words to him throughout the five days she's been here. When she finally got a moment to breathe she figured it was probably better this way, she'd rather run around all day under his critical gaze than be bow her head submissively, it was exactly how she'd lived her life before her relationship with father began to heal and it wasn't a fun way to live, it's only a matter of time before this one healed as well.

Maybe.

The thought of working with him –for him- had made her nervous at first, she'd read several novels in this setting and it made her wonder if being in a closed space with someone really worked that way. Now that she was getting the hang of it, she realized her worries were over nothing; he'd hired her to get her out of the way.

Even as his _personal assistant_, she only needed to see him first thing in the morning to give him his schedule and empty his outbox. Sasuke had a strict rule of not being bothered for all day unless it was a life or death emergency and even then, if his abilities weren't specifically required, whoever was dying needn't bother him at all.

It applied to everyone excluding Naruto, even if everyday the sound of their arguments filtered through the hardwood door and even if every day he continued to visit.

Her current post did not require her to have any verbal communication with him, her desk was far away from his door so if he needed anything he could always ask the officer whose desk is nearest. if she woke up earlier tomorrow she could finish her morning tasks in his office before he got there as a means of eliminating contact altogether.

She didn't want to, it would be easier on her heart but it would indicate that he intimidated her.

He didn't, not really, not the way he intimidated the other coworkers who were too scared to continue their chat if he as much as passed by their desks on his way to the restroom. The aura of untouchableness around him was both impressive and extremely lonesome...

It was finally lunch time, she only noticed his absence from the food court after she'd wolfed down her food. Who could blame her when the only breakfast she has time for anymore is tea and a single piece of toast?

Even Hanabi who was in charge of a team of three had time to sleep in and make a proper breakfast...

Five days in and Hinata was absolutely exhausted, not just physically; having to deal with so many people for so many hours in a claustrophobic beehive of offices was draining… Her solitude battery was running low, maybe tonight she can huddle up on the couch with a book and a cup of hot cocoa to unwind.

Deciding that maybe he wasn't kidding when he'd announced his expectations, she ordered a fresh cup of coffee and a sandwich from the cafeteria and marched up to his door to offer him lunch.

Uchiha Sasuke, director of Human Resources for the hidden village of Leaf , was sleeping face-down on his desk.

He didn't wake up when she set the cup and plate on an empty corner of his desk, or when she pulled his coat off the hanger and approached; only when the tip of fabric touched him did he snap awake with a hand on her wrist and blood-red eyes fixed on her face.

Once a shinobi, always a shinobi.

He rubbed his eyes and yawned when it was apparent no imminent danger was present, unaware of the flush his tight grip left on her thin wrist. He rolled his neck and asked a groggy "What time is it?"

Hinata set his coat back on the hanger and brought his lunch closer to where he could reach it. There wasn't any other spot on the desk anyway, the clutter would be worrisome if she stopped to think on how complicated his research was. "Fifteen to one, break is nearly over."

He looked undeniably exhausted. She'd agreed to work here thinking he'd be skipping and playing hooky and she'd show him how it's done, but he really worked hard, didn't he? She'd returned reference books to the basement at least ten times in the last five days, if he ran through them so quickly he must be working harder than the average pencil pusher.

His eyes will suffer if he kept it up.

"What do you want?"

She flinched. "I just came to see if you've had anything to eat…"

"And now you want my thanks? It's in your job description." He took a sip of coffee and made a face, "Mkkht! Why is there sugar!?"

"It's the default brew!"

"I don't like it." He set it aside and looked at the sandwich like it was made of homework. "And what's this?"

"Smoked turkey." She waited for him to eat it, or give her orders, or tell her to leave, or at least reprimand her for her bad taste.

…Like in the books.

He made to go back to work quietly as if she wasn't there, probably unaware of the pained expression on his face or the sluggish movements of his hands.

"Would you like me to bring something else?" She had to ask, he wasn't about to get up and get his own food, that much was obvious.

"Do you really have time for that right now? You'll regret working so diligently when you're working double shifts."

"I already do." She smiled politely at his surprise, "Your outbox needs to be sent out as soon as possible, and the textbooks constantly refreshed. I work for as long as you do."

"Are you b…?" He seemed to process it at a slower rate than usual, either that or the sugar was paralyzing his thoughts. "…I hadn't noticed."

The shuriken that lodged itself in her throat had to be swallowed down before she could speak again. "Is it also my job to suggest you don't work double shifts… sir?"

He looked at her, annoyed and not at all aware of how long ago it had been since they've had a private conversation. "Stop calling me sir. Get back to work."

"Right away." Her back bent just a notch, she had to physically stop herself from bowing to him. "I will bring some onigiri, then. They only have umeboshi and okaka left. Is that alright?"

His groan was deliberate and audible, "Yeah, yeah. You really like slaving away, don't you?"

"Only because you work hard, too."

"I do. Too hard, for a bunch of ingrates." He rubbed his face in exasperation, obviously planning to go back to sleep once she's gone because of the fascinated way he eyed the leather couch at the other end of the room.

"Maybe everyone is afraid to step out of line, but we appreciate your great effort. Work in the other departments is starting to catch up to your efficiency, and shuffling the employees is making everyone work harder to keep their spot. Not everyone is ungrateful, so: thank you." Her face heated up at the awkwardness she was spouting, but it needed to be said. "Well then, excuse me, Uchiha sama."

His attempt to read the text in the scroll on his desk was unsuccessful, his eyes were too blurry, his mind too loud. Just as she was about to close the door he commanded, "Why are you being formal again? It's just _Sasuke_."

* * *

_Please, don't make this any harder than it already is…_

* * *

"Neji nii, welcome back!" Hinata hugged her tired cousin lightly just as he and the rest of the convoy entered the village. Kiba and Akamaru received brief hugs of their own, and Shino whose insects buzzed loudly nodded to her from three-foot's distance. They were still high-strung from the mission as it always gets when accompanying a VIP, whether or not said VIP was capable of fighting did very little to how alert they need to be.

"Hinata sama, you look well. I'm glad you've gotten some rest because of the assigning mistake." Neji smiled, unaware of the slightly darker tone of his skin from having crossed a scorching desert.

Hinata decided it wasn't the right time to correct the misconception. "You went away without me anyway!" Her playful pout was returned with chuckles and jokes. "I'm on my way to the Hokage tower, would you like it if I accompany you?"

The three looked at each other and then nodded in agreement. It was Neji who spoke, "I guess I'm the least exhausted, I'll report to the office myself, then. Good work Inuzuka san, Aburame san."

"See ya Hinata, I'm gonna crash tonight. Tomorrow we'll have dinner and catch up, alright?" Kiba guided Akamaru in the direction of their house for some well-needed shower and rest. Shino agreed to the date and shuffled to his place as well, his bugs rioting at the depleted chakra reserve.

"Wow, everyone is really tired. Is everything okay?"

"Yes, the desert is draining, you understand." He tried to smile but could only worry about finding the nearest vending machine to rehydrate himself. After chugging down a well-needed bottle of water he seemed to be himself again, the soft crinkles around his eyes when he smiled reminded her of uncle Hizashi. "So what will you be reporting to the Hokage tower?"

"I work there now." His surprise was very much expected. "In Human Resources, they need the manpower with the elections coming up."

"I see…" He fell into step with her and for five seconds he said nothing, "Wasn't Uchiha Sasuke the head of HR?"

Ack, he made the connection before she had time to line up the right words! "He is…"

"Is he bothering you?"

Quite the opposite. "Not at all, actually… We barely speak."

"I see." He said, but it sounded like 'oh good, or else I woulda done something about it!'

With a smile, she decided to bring the topic back to him and his travels. "How are _you_ doing?"

The taller Hyuuga adjusted the heavy luggage on his back and breathed into the collar of his cape for warmth. "It's very cold here compared to the Sand. I'm afraid I'm coming down with fever."

"I'll make you some menthol rub and mint tea, it should fight it a little, at least." She started, "Also, please drink lots of fresh orange juice and stay warm. Is your injury flaring up again?"

"Not at all." He continued to smile and let her instruct him on how to take care of himself and his war injuries for the umpteenth time. When she was done repeating what to do and what not to do about an upcoming cold, he asked, "So when is the Akimichi's wedding?"

"It's next weekend!" she gushed, "Ino chan is very excited, she's also very anxious. I'm happy for her, I'm just worried because I don't really like the dress she chose for me…"

"So tell her now before it is too late!"

Her smile was more apology than humor. "I'll just wear something over my shoulders and pretend it's cold."

"You shouldn't pretend if she was really your friend…" It was his intention to go on a tangent on how sometimes it feels like she is being used and strung along, the strange succession of expressions he caught on her face interested him more. "You look like you have something to say to that."

"No…!"

He smiled lightly. "Tell me, I could use the distraction from the headache."

She chewed on her lip and studied how nice it felt to have her cold fingers intertwined under the edge of sleeves. "It'll increase your headache, maybe… You don't really like him."

"Who?"

He will worry, but it was the truth. "Sasuke."

Neji stopped in the middle of the street to look at her. "What did he do?"

Oh no… "Nothing! I… Well, it's easy to be myself with him, you know… You said I shouldn't pretend with friends and, well… Yeah."

"I don't understand." He blinked repeatedly, trying to read more into it. "Do you hide yourself with me? Do you _pretend_?"

"No! Not on purpose… I mean, you're already busy with your own life and when you're at the house you're expected to act a certain way, so…" This definitely upset him, because he didn't say anything. "It's not your fault, please don't misunderstand! Even with Kiba kun and the others there's a uhh I don't know how to say it… jump? Sometimes I don't feel like making the jump, and conversation goes well anyway, like I'm not even there, you know… Or maybe not… Maybe I'm not good in social situations. You're amazing because you do well with every team, so…"

Focused on the topic at hand, he deadpanned. "But it isn't so with Uchiha? Why?"

That was something she actually found herself considering for quite some time even after she shrugged it off. They were at the double doors by then, she had to choose her words carefully so Neji-nii didn't end up worrying himself sick over it. "He's impolite." She continued suddenly, much to her cousin's confusion. "Polite words and mind games mean nothing to him. He will say it like it is even if it wasn't nice, and if he expects certain things he will say so, and that's it. It's easy to understand."

Except for the part where he nonchalantly avoided her like the plague.

That part still didn't make much sense…

"And I don't? You can say anything to me, you know that."

She could, but it's probably not the same… "Thank you, I'll be sure to remember that." After they'd parted ways with a promise to speak longer tomorrow at the celebratory dinner, she found herself finding the thing she should have said earlier.

She liked and appreciated every single one of her friends, but the difference between them and Sasuke was seemingly simple yet incredibly vital: He talks to her for who she is now, not who she was years ago.

* * *

When she got to the office on the tenth floor, already there were three people waiting in line to talk to her about their displacement. Their body language buzzing with anxiety and faces grim with pre-prepared speeches. Being a daughter of a diplomat came in handy, she managed to convince Number One that his new post was more profitable, and Number Two that his new location was safer so he could be sure to go back to his family every day, even if it meant his pay was cut a small percentage.

The third one was moved from agriculture finance to the front lines of missions despite having a low overall battle experience, there was no convincing a middle-aged man to go into the fray when he'd spent all his adult life behind a desk.

It took forever to talk him out of seeing the crazy man in the big office, it only hit him what a dangerous situation it would be when he learned the name of the director: The crazy mass murderer Uchiha.

When he left he made sure to accidentally bump into the water dispenser on his way out, mumbling incoherently under his breath as he waited for the elevator doors to shut.

That's right, the devil incarnate Uchiha was piling up enemies by the ton, it's only a matter of time before someone snapped and spit in his drink.

What a lucky coincidence that she was the one in charge of his coffee!

Naruto found himself an early chance to skip and was in the director's office for a good half hour before it was appropriate of her to interrupt. He had several secretaries and a hundred assistants and an army of lackeys to deliver his papers for him, but every day he personally came to the human resources department under the guise of delivering confidential documents.

It was sweet of him, and the Uchiha certainly needed it.

"-aying to her: But Sakura chan, instant ramen doesn't make _me_ bloat. You know what she said?! She said that I'm always bloated so it doesn't show! Is that what I'm gonna put up with for the rest of my life?" The young man was sunk into the couch with his bare feet on the armrest, it looked like a therapy session from the movies when she walked in. "Oh, hey Hinata chan! What's up?"

"Good afternoon, Naruto kun!" She set him a cup of coffee on the coffee table –milk and two sugars- and placed the other –straight out black- on the only empty spot on the director's desk, silently congratulating herself for not stuttering in front of Naruto for what felt like the very first time in her life.

Sasuke didn't look like he was listening at all, but when it was quiet he spoke, "Your face does puff up when you have Ichiraku Ramen, maybe you should stop going there till the wedding."

The blond totally missed the sarcasm in that one. "EEH?! No way! Having their noodles is like the only _me_ time I have left! If I knew being Hokage was so much paperwork I would've proposed _after_!"

"If only time would wait." Sasuke scoffed and handed her a folder. "This came in just now. These guys want someone who can sniff out a lost heirloom, you know the Inuzukas, right? Add anyone off the top of your head and send it back to local dispatch. It's not our job to tell them who to assign on stupid missions, damn it."

"Right away. Do you want me to deliver your displeasure as well?" She offered a small smile, it nearly turned into a giggle when the exasperated look on his face spoke several volumes of heck yeah.

"Hinata chan… You work here? I didn't know that! You never told me, idiot!" Naruto pointed a finger at his friend, "That's cheating! Now I want to work with Sakura chan and have booty calls, too!"

She had no idea what a booty call was, but it offended Sasuke to be accused of it. "Not everyone is desperate like you. do you know where she lives?"

"Wh- whaat… That's the biggest cheat in the history of cheating!" The boy grimaced and sat up from popping his sore toes to take a sip of coffee. "Naa, you think I should ask Sakura to come live with me? Hinata chan, you've gone drinking with her, she must have told you some secrets. Do you think she'll say yes if I ask her now? Even though we're not married yet?"

It was a little twinge of pain right between her ribs, "Umm… I can't speak in her place, but I know she misses you when you're very busy."

Strangely, having confirmed that Naruto was being affectionate to Sakura wasn't as dreadful as when she'd think of that gorgeous redhead sleeping with Sasuke just a floor below. It was easier to accept and support because at least Naruto and Sakura were properly engaged!

"Kuuuh! I want to come home and find her, too! Her parents won't like it, huh. I didn't ask, but I guess all parents are like that, right?"

Sasuke set his coffee down and offered his advice. "You're a coward."

"Wh- why whaaat?!" Naruto stood in the middle of the office, barefoot and all, and demanded a show-off. "Come here and say it to my face! I just want my girl to be happy awright! Pleasing the parents is a big deal when you're serious about a girl!"

Sasuke calmly set his pen down and walked around the table to stand toe-to-toe, "Then stop wasting time and become Hokage already!"

"I'm trying! It doesn't happen overnight! There hasn't been a peaceful turnover of power since the first! All the others keeled over before a new one showed up!"

"_How convenient!_ Do you understand how many lives are depending on you to get it together? Already the town is chock-full of tourists waiting for your two big events! Foreigners are flooding the bar districts, bored out of their minds. I have a whole cupboard full of sentry requests to manage muggings and drunks who don't have the correct currency. They're all here because they want to see _you_!"

Naruto's grimace made his eyes squint shut when he was poked in the chest, the embarrassment showed on the flush in his cheeks and the sputter in the back of his throat. "I didn't ask them to come see me!"

"We don't always get asked what we want." He gripped his shirt front and hissed through clenched teeth, allowing the boy to do the same. "You're the leader now, you can't afford childish excuses. If you promise to do something, do it or I will take it from you."

"You can't take anything from me, I'll beat you senseless you little brat!"

"Funny you'd say that if I'm the one who always kicks your ass! If I wanted to be stuck in this dump until I keel over, I'd fight you for it! But it's too much work for a bunch of ignorant meat sacks, and I don't intend to stick around here forever, so set a date for one thing or the other, give them a deadline to look forward to!"

"Who said you ever kicked any- wait…" Naruto stopped screaming in his face to rewind the last part. "What do you mean you're not sticking around?"

"I only promised to be here until you're Hokage. Stop dragging your feet, I'm not an idiot, I know it's what you're doing."

"It's not! The hell, man." He slapped the arms away and dropped into the couch to aggressively pull his sandals on. "What's the hurry? Where are you going?"

Sasuke adjusted his shirt and exhaled in triumph. "Who cares, I'm a stranger everywhere I go."

"Oi…" The blond motioned with his chin for him to glance back.

Hinata wasn't aware of the face she was making until their attention was turned to her. She wanted to deny her discomfort or tell them it was time for her to go back to work or some other detached excuse, her throat was too tight for words, and if she blinked the barrier of moisture between her lashes might just collapse.

Exactly like that day he'd told her of his traveling prospects, only now there was no room for childish requests.

She would miss him, probably.

Definitely.

She will miss herself, too, the her who comes out when she doesn't censor her thoughts or line up her words.

Sasuke didn't address her when he spoke, instead he settled behind his desk to get back to work. "If she has something to say she'll say it."

Naruto gasped, "You're heartless! Hinata chan is too shy to say something like that!"

"No." He shot her a knowing look that was oddly uplifting. "You're an idiot, always will be. She's not ten years old anymore, and neither are you. Parents and guardians and rules, aren't they limitations for kids? Sakura and everyone else are depending on you to take the lead, stop sucking your thumb and get to work."

Royally pissed off, Naruto stormed out of the office and only stopped grumbling incoherently when he was behind his desk pouring over boring paperwork.

The Hokage's office had never seen so much work get done since the Fourth.

* * *

_Maybe it's time to seriously consider Plan B... _

* * *

About an hour later, Hinata knocked on the open door to deliver some mission cancellation scrolls with an uncertain voice and ears red with suppressed embarrassment, only to find the third unhappy ninja of the day had come back and had mustered the courage to see the crazy Uchiha in person. Her interruption ended what looked like a staring contest between the two, one undeniably shaken, the other passively leaned back in his chair with his fingers crossed. The shinobi left with a sealed scroll in his hand which was made of durable material, definitely the kind used for high-level delivery missions.

Sasuke went to stand at the window behind his desk when she set the folders on the high tower in his inbox, observing the world below with an overall irritated air that ran so thick she thought he would snap at the slightest attempt at conversation.

"These are the missions cancelled today." Her voice didn't alarm him at all, he must be trying hard to ignore her very existence. If she were someone else, she'd probably take that as a cue to leave, but if there was one thing she doing this thankless job for, it was to prove he could depend on her no matter what sour mood he was in. "Would you like me to empty the outbox now?"

"Close the door."

Oh, it must be one of the really bad days. "Sorry to disturb you…"

"Close it and _come here_." He clarified with a quick glance, and waited until she did as ordered to touch the thick glass with the tip of his finger. "Watch that man."

The angry shinobi who'd walked out just now was walking out the double doors of the building, heading straight to meet with a bland-looking civilian two streets away. "What about them?"

"What can you see? With your eyes?"

Byakugan! "They're talking… They look quite upset, the civilian is pointing on the mission scroll to where it needs to be delivered… Isn't that classified? Also, the one on the left is wearing glasses to read, he has a spot on his right brow that looks like a scar or a burn mark. His dominant hand seems to be the left…"

"I don't care what they look like, just tell me where they go."

"They're walking away from each other now, ninja san stopped at an Udon stand to eat."

"Follow the one with the glasses."

She was silent for as long as the target walked through the town seemingly randomly, probably lost in thought. With her ears she heard her superior take two steps away and seat himself on the leather chair, and only spoke when the man in question entered an estate ten minutes later. "I think he went home. It is the Yamada's green mansion at the district by the marshes, I'm sworn not to invade a home's privacy, so…"

"Keep watching."

"Sasuke it's no-"

"Watch him."

Begrudgingly, she continued to focus her eyes until she could penetrate the walls, paper-thin from this distance and difficult to peek through with steady accuracy. "I guess it's not his house, he's waiting in a receiving room for someone… Ah, he seems to have taken the scroll with him!"

"That's what I thought, someone dressed like that isn't fit to live in that mansion. You can stop now, I get what's going on."

Hinata rubbed her eyes after the release of her bloodline limit and looked at the man in the chair. "I don't understand…"

"Maybe that's better." His fingers pinched his nose from the tip to the brow bone in little circular motions, customary congestion amongst dojutsu users. "That'll be it, you can go."

She wanted to go, but her mind was quick at work to figure out the situation. "Some wealthy member of the village council needed to be immediately informed about the relocation of a nameless finance calculator, but only through a proxy… Political corruption?"

"Hmm? You're not as simpleminded as you claim to be." The astonishment in his voice was genuine, his eyes gleamed a little, or maybe it was the overhead lights. "It's a whole network, what else do you think I'm doing here day in and day out."

"But I thought there will be elections, like in the Rain?"

"There will be, it's why the rotten ones need to be picked out before they get any public support."

"Is that why you relocate seemingly random people?" Her smile wavered, "Is that why you switched _me_?"

He rolled up his sleeves and pulled a folder from the inbox to read through. this conversation was over to him.

Oh god… "Is there someone in my family you needed to fish out?"

"That's confidential. You can go now, don't speak of this to anyone."

Her heart sunk. "Is it my father?"

"C_onfidential_."

That's not an answer! "… At least my father?" she watched his every move like her life depended on it, the annoyed purse of his lips, the tightness with which he held the pen, the deep breath he had to take in before showing her the tiniest shake of the head.

Relief and immense gratitude washed over her like a warm waterfall. It could be a random spasm in his neck, it could be a lie; she believed him for her own sanity.

The conversation was now really over. There was a lot of work to do on her desk, another mountain of reference books to take to the basement archives, two people to inform of their relocation and the comparing of five medical reports long overdue. What she had to say sounded more important than that. "Also… I had Byakugan on so I couldn't help but notice that um… Your chakra flow is really poor at the base of the neck."

He groaned in annoyance and dropped the pen in frustration, "Wow, you think? Not like it's sore or anything."

It wasn't polite to smile, it wasn't polite to smile. "Would you like me to maybe… Unblock them?"

Sasuke turned on his swivel chair, looking up at her with a face that was both humored and suspicious. "It's not an assassination attempt on my core chakra point, is it? You already know too much information. What makes you think I'll trust you with the nape of my neck?"

Oh, she'd forgotten how much he hated being touched. "You don't, I guess… Maybe your girlfriend is better suited for the task. I'm sorry for the intrusion."

"Girlfriend?!"

Oh no, she hadn't meant to say it out loud! "I- I mean, the nice red-haired girl that lives with you…?" he couldn't deny it, she'd heard the woman's voice behind his door several nights in a row…

It bothered her on a moral level, it wasn't right to sleep with someone casually.

What kind of experienced war veteran let a stranger get that close, anyway…

What if they were dangerous murderers, right?

"Karin? Pff, she's not my anything. It's a give and take of favors, nothing more."

Favors, huh? Why was he treating her like a clueless child? "I see, well… I have… important papers. Yes, so."

The chair creaked as he leaned back with a scowl he didn't even attempt to hide. "Are you _jealous_?"

Well if it disgusts him _that_ much! "No!"

She _was_ jealous.

She was jealous and she knew it, and he knew that she was, and he made _sure_ she knew that he knew; that pissed off scowl burned under her eyelids like a bright summer sun.

With a resigned hum, he leaned forward with his elbows on his knees to expose the back of his neck. "Do it, I can take you."

"MMaybe you should seek the help of a certified medic." Her knees went soft, her shoulders squared, her whole body wanted to leave except for her hands that itched for contact. "I'm aware that you hate it when I get too close, so I'll… Stay away."

"I don't remember asking you to stay away, you're making up excuses to go back on your word."

The accusation offended her on several levels and before she could rationalize it, she was standing right between his knees with her sleeves rolled up.

The only warning he got was the tentative 'Excuse me.' before his breath hitched in his throat, her cold hands had slipped under his shirt through the collar as if she'd done it a hundred times, they were like popsicles on his feverish skin, drawing pinpricks across his whole back. Her thumbs and forefingers did something to that tight spot just between his shoulder blades and the base of his neck, something so painful and satisfying that even the stoic Uchiha Sasuke couldn't hold back his moan. She did it again two inches lower, and then two inches lower than that, without once addressing the groans he poorly attempted to muffle into her sweater. His lungs filled with her smell, of flowers and vanilla, his hands gripped her sides to keep himself steady through the head rush. The slowly clearing paths in his body reminded him of those precious days when he rested well, when his body was young and energetic without seals and tattoos and chronic injuries... The growing drowsiness threatened to lull him to sleep right there in her arms, with memories of a sunny field in the company of a kind stranger.

After wringing loose two more knots and warming open the chakra pores on his upper back, her hands slipped out of his shirt and ran their thin fingers through his hair so settle on the top of his head. She didn't do anything there, just let her chilled skin cool down the flush that was well expected after the unblocking of core energy pathways.

He did very little but breathe into her shirt, it alarmed her to the possibility that this disruption in flow had lingered longer than he let on. That, along with the dark rims around his eyes, his breathless words whenever he spoke, the obvious exhaustion in everything he did; he was obviously abusing his body and maybe it was time to seriously suggest a break.

"Ne, how are you these days?" She smiled to the messy hair between her fingers.

"Alive..." Dazed and undeniably euphoric, Sasuke could only blink up at her like she was bright as the sun. "What devil can I contract to have you come do this every two days?"

Shy and relieved, she found herself fighting back a giggle. "You probably wouldn't need it that often."

"I do, I definitely do." With some effort, he pulled away to melt into the embrace of his cold leather seat. "I owe you."

Her smile faded off the longer he stared, aware that he might never accept unconditional concern, that he will always attempt to payback every kindness she offered him for free. "Are you eating well?"

"Well enough."

She knew that answer well, and knew that if she pressed him about it he will make that bothered face again. She went for it, because he can intimidate her, but he can't scare her. "You're not depending on cold packed lunches from the supermarket, are you?"

Just as expected he was annoyed, but the expression that followed that bitter twist of the lips wasn't anger, it was amusement. "What will you do about it, force feed me something homemade?"

Heat in her face stopped her from saying yes. "That would be pushy, wouldn't it…"

"Not like it stopped you before."

On one hand it was a relief that he could talk to her casually again, on the other… "I won't make your choices for you anymore."

"That's a choice too, though, isn't it." He pushed away from the chair to his full height, just like that day he commanded her to be his assistant. "What if I don't mind if you do? What if I'm doing the same?"

He was a head taller than her, she had to lean back a fraction to find his eyes. "You mean about assigning me here? Wasn't it because Human Resources was underemployed?"

"No." He admitted simply, "I did it to keep you safe."

"I don't need protecting!" Every ounce of patience she had in her small body gathered in her throat, struggling not to scream it out loud. "Because a desert is no place for a woman, is that it?"

"Because you're a Hyuuga." He smirked, hands released from behind his back to land on his hips. He stopped amusing himself with her flustered confusion to speak quietly, seriously. "Tonight, three ambassadors from the Cloud will attempt to kidnap one of you. Your sister is attending someone's birthday party in the district, isn't she? Chances are she will be snatched on the road." The wide eyes that looked up at him were big and innocent, unsure if this was a joke or a warning. "Nara Shikamaru, Naruto and the whole of intelligence had been preparing for this for weeks, I'm surprised none of it leaked out to you yet."

"We don't live in the big house anymore…" Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Hinata started to consider her role because whether they liked it or not, no one plots to touch Hyuuga Hanabi without going through her first. "What can I do?"

"Nothing. You're not supposed to know about it, I just told you to clear my debt." The look of sheer horror that crossed her face spurred him into offering some relief. "But you... I've been out drinking with those Cloud guys for a while, it's actually _you_ they want. I've made it impossible for them to get to you without running into me. If you want, _if you're alright with screwing up Naruto's plans,_ tonight they have me on schedule for an entertainment event so they can plead drunkenness if they get caught. You can come with me and I'll pretend to leave early for one reason or the other. They'll not miss the chance, they suspect there'll be eyes on them for the shrimp, but you? No one expects you to be there, not even ANBU, you'll be out of these walls before the clock strikes twelve, I'm sure of it."

Despite the shock of what he was offering, her mind worked out the kinks quickly. "Would that keep Hanabi safe? Won't they try to have both of us?"

A strange look crossed his face, like he didn't expect that to be the first question. "There's five ANBU teams with eyes on her and only three kidnappers, you're less important to the clan since she's the heir, i don't think they'll bother with her if they have you in the bag."

"Why isn't someone stopping them, if they already know?" she didn't mind if it was her they take or kill, but to put her baby sister in needless danger was reckless even from Shikamaru…

"Nara's plan was to expose them when they go in for the snatch, but I don't see a point in repeating the past. Even if he was a genius he can only work with so many variables, and he doesn't know what it's like to aim for the eyes. It could backfire if she put up a fight, and if I know her at all, she will. The Cloud are aware of it, they're _depending_ on it, if they succeed they'll have a pair of Byakugan, if they don't, they'll have something to whine about just like they did with your uncle."

Hinata had a hundred questions to ask, a thousand possibilities to explore; the brightest thought that filled her head at that last comment was: he remembers!

"So when they strike I call for help?"

"No. Let them take you, if they get caught with a live Hyuuga at the border it'll be an international event. They couldn't weasel their way out of it by lining a few pockets, it'll be Land of Hot Springs territory and those guys take their peace seriously. I'll make sure you're switched out with a decoy just in case, Karin is without a checkpoint pass, she's willing play your part to cross the border. Just wait it out until her Henge no Jutsu is exposed, there's bound to be news or rumors, it shouldn't take longer than three days."

His words were calm and his eyes focused; he'd given this a lot of thought considering it was a back up plan to something the town genius already polished to perfection.

Was that why he's been ignoring her? He didn't want to talk to her long enough to spill it?

Was it why he was missing out on sleep?

Sasuke wasn't aware of the twinkle in her eyes, too busy explaining his theory. "A scandal like that should be enough to keep the Cloud from messing with us for a while, hopefully forever. Too many people died for peace, I don't care who I have to manipulate to keep it that way."

Seeing this detached social reject put so much thought into the safety of her village made her hands itch for a hug, for her lips to speak the gratitude bubbling in her throat. It didn't feel like the kind of situation that allowed such distractions, she had to focus. "Did you tell Naruto kun? I'm sure he trusts you enough to go for it! I'll help, too, if it's me they want!"

With a quiet exhale he leaned against the side of the table to cross his arms, deep in thought. "Naruto trusts me to do what's right even if it's behind his back, even if it pissed him off; but there's only so much he can do to keep the casualty rate down." He mistook her absentmindedness for reluctance and eased himself into the chair to casually flip through C-rank mission requests. "I wouldn't blame you if you decide to trust the original plan, up until five minutes ago i didn't want to let you in on it. It could go horribly wrong and you'll be decapitated on a spike with your eyeballs in some peasant's face."

If she knew Sasuke at all, she would know he calculated it to bits. And if she knew Shikamaru at all, he would put into consideration an interruption like this and plan accordingly.

"What's _your_ role?"

He stamped a 'rejected' seal on the bottom of the scroll and tossed it aside. "Sit here and make sure a team makes it to you in time. I'm still not allowed to leave the village without permission, parole and all."

"Still?"

"Hmh." The smile that tugged on the corner of his mouth was curious, "The agriculture department alone was full of crop reports layered with genjutsu. Demands for abductions and bribery and _gifts_. I need to be here to do rounds every night, a bunch of strawberries seem to carry the evidence off somewhere when I don't, they care more about interrupting those demands than courtroom logistics and it's just ridiculous." If he noticed the grateful smile warming her face, he didn't address it. "You have until this shift's over to decide, but know that whatever you choose, you're on your own."

She didn't need the shift to be over to know that she would happily have her head mounted on a spike to protect Hanabi. "I'm in. If it works out, if I'm out there all alone… How do I know when to come back? When is the deadline?"

"There isn't one. Just don't die."

* * *

_I just want to give the little singing bird wings, even if she will fly away and never look back. _


	22. Chapter 22

**My One In A Million**

Chapter Twenty Two:

* * *

Something went wrong.

Horribly wrong.

She couldn't move, they drugged her, Karin refused to take her place, Sasuke had warned her that if she messed up she will be on her own.

And now she… where was she?

In the land of grass?

A man was standing in the middle of a field in broad daylight, shoulders squared and face a blur.

This particular staring contest felt like it's been going on for days.

He was angry at her.

Why was he always angry at her?

Why did she always show him an embarrassing side of herself?

The wind that smelled like campfire and sounded like the sea tickled her ear for as long as she stood there, waiting for an accusation or an explanation or a goodbye.

She wasn't yet sure why she was here or what it is she was holding out for, it was nice to just breathe every once in a while. Having suffered heart failure several times in her short life taught her to appreciate every deep breath she was allowed to take.

He spoke, without sound, like she was underwater and could only guess the words by the shape of his blurry mouth. "You have to wake up."

Was she asleep?

Was this a dream?

"You have to pull through, you can't die here."

Oh… She was dying?

That would explain how she could be here for so long without food or sleep…

"Everyone is waiting for you. Hanabi, Naruto, Kurenai." The names went on, familiar, hearing them in his voice was funny, he never said them so plainly. "Come back."

But this was alright, wasn't it?

Because, well…

There was nothing around but cliffs and sea. Where would she even begin her journey?

"Where do I go?" He didn't look like he'd heard her question, she couldn't hear it either.

Naturally, because she was dead.

Maybe it was better this way, she liked it here.

This was good enough.

He was here, at least.

"Anywhere you want." The sound of crashing waves was making her sleepy, how come she couldn't hear his voice?

She liked his voice, though…

Especially when –if- he said her name.

Nowadays he only calls her princess, unsure if he was still mocking her or if it had turned into a term of endearment.

"I want to stay here." Even if he was the angel of death, even if he was an illusion that will keep her locked in here forever.

This was okay, nobody was waiting for her anyway.

The Hyuuga failure.

Were her eyes stolen? Did they mount her head on a spike?

Was she being reborn? Can she choose what to be reborn into?

Can she become a mermaid?

"It's wha-" The next words she couldn't hear well, the sound of thunder in the distance deafened her to his already muted words. "-nts to see you."

Nah…

She was good here. "I like it here."

He dropped his head to his chest in defeat, just like that day the war ended when no one dared approach him about the gaping wound on his abdomen so he stood there looking at it, like glaring would magically close it up.

His eyes didn't register her then when she healed him, nor the many encounters before and after, school and exams and assemblies and festivals and rebuilding and group dinners; not until their first argument with a ladle of soup that taught him her name and the weight of putting her foot down.

_"All this, for me?"_

The wind brought forth the scent of rain and the burning wires of the old academy, the drained slant of his shoulders as he walked home, oblivious of her feet that hesitated seven steps away. The blood and tears he wouldn't show anyone, his pleading voice that still resonated in her head even now.

_"I'm begging you…"_

His straight back and tilted head, laughing with Naruto in a way he wouldn't do when others were around. Standing face to face with him to argue about something insignificant, in a half-playful manner he wouldn't allow anybody else.

The tightening of his fists as he stood in front of the shelf in the store, asking himself if he wanted to have rice or noodles; he didn't want to have pasta, did he?

_"So you're free tonight?" _

The smell of antiseptic, the gauze around his torso that peeked through the holes in his hospital gown, the sigh he breathed when he'd forgotten someone was still there. The clamminess of his skin in that moment he collapsed to the floor, too gone to notice that she caught him at the very last minute.

_"There's nothing left for me here… Kill me."_

_"Tell me not to go." _

His peaceful face as he slept, graceful fingers whose nails she trimmed, the sadness he shed on her shoulder when he thought he was all alone.

He _was_ all alone.

The last Uchiha.

_"What does a princess like you know about sacrifice and regret…?" _

The sad eyes he directed to a far-off point as he sat for hours in his district's rubble, unaware of a Hyuuga hiding several streets away trying to muster the courage to speak with him. His disgust of, and desperation for, affection. His heart beating like a scared bird under her hands, his stiff jokes when she made him uncomfortable, the glaze over his eyes whenever she talked for long.

_"What do you not understand, the part where I like you or the part where I ask you to marry me?"_

The tightness around his mouth when she didn't believe him, the bitter smile he turned away when she was too scared to accept the realization right under her nose.

_"Not if you're so disgusted by the thought, no."_

The line between the brows when he pretended not to see her, the quiet breath of relief he exhaled whenever she excused herself, his watchful eyes when she told him no, and sorry, and I can't.

_"Coward." _

A small, frightened part of him that recoiled back into a shell, a safe corner she was all too familiar with, the protective clutching of too-tender emotions. Withdrawing from things good and bad, searching for a dark corner to lick wounds that refused to heal.

"_If my efforts are going to be shrugged off then I might as well move on to somebody who would appreciate them. There are a million people in the world…"_

There were _several_ million people in the world, yet for some reason it was always her he'd pulled out of a stifling crowd, her hands he gripped for guidance, her hair he touched on a windy day, her offers of food and drink he accepted, her shoulders he held an umbrella over, her body he always kept behind his back to protect.

To think he'd looked at her the way Naruto looked at Sakura, hugged her like Kurenai, counseled her like Temari, teased her like Kiba, believed in her like Shino, reprimanded her like father, humored her like Hanabi, and took her seriously like Neji.

He was all of that and she'd let him go because she was too scared of an emotional paper cut that may or may not happen.

And now she was dead, and he was gone, and she was all alone to fend for herself because she failed a failsafe mission.

Pathetic…

"_Come back._" The voice repeated between her ears so many times the words stopped sounding like words.

Others will always find someone else, none of them needed her, father and Naruto and Kurenai; their life goes on without her.

But her? Him?

Would her life go on if she went back now and he wasn't there?

Was it worth it to return to that stiff routine of seeing but not touching?

To hear him talk and not join in?

To know he's heading out to lunch and not follow?

To see someone on his arm and not have the right to be jealous about it…?

Something shook her out of the downward spiral into a cold damp abyss, loud and unbearable, "It's okay if you hate me, but you have to come back!"

She peeked up through the hair that clung to her lashes, the strings that stuck to her lips, he looked like he was in pain. "Go back to what? There's nothing to go back to… It's gone…"

The hooded figure that stood to her right gripped her hand tighter. "See? There is no reason to linger here anymore. Let me guide you."

"Where are you going?" The boy called with horror in his voice, his wide eyes glued to the intertwined fingers. "Everyone is waiting for you!"

"Their life goes on without me, they don't need me." With a small shrug, she turned to follow the angel of death with his dark purple clothes and his white hair and his round glasses.

Sasuke's shirt flailed in the wind, he opened his arms wide. "Then come back for _me_!"

Didn't he hate her?

He hated all of her, hated her touch, hated her intrusions, hated looking at her. The only reason he talked to her about the whole plan was to ask her to throw her life away.

_"If you're so keen on getting yourself killed, how about you sacrifice yourself to a greater cause?" _

"No one cares about being proper anymore, I'd rather you move in with me."

"We can use my kitchen."

"So let's go, get out of here. Being a missing nin doesn't sound too bad."

"Next time make sure it is _kill now ask questions later_, not _have your eyeballs plucked out_."

She's not ten, she'll say it if she wanted to.

Are they giving you a bad price?

People like us can disappear in the blink of an eye.

When does the lord's mother stop plotting against Tsubaki?

Is Camellia troublesome to take care of?

Do they get married at the end?

Love is overrated.

_Marry me._

She ran. Grass and dirt between her toes, wind in her hair and sunshine in her lashes. Her body crashed into him, pressed flush against his like falling from a great height, welcomed by an impossibly tight embrace with equally desperate arms and rainfall on her cheeks.

His familiar scent swirling around them, hands on her face, erratic heart beating against her ear, laughter echoing in her chest that wasn't her own. "Welcome back, princess."

All she wanted was to feel safe and loved, just for a few seconds, and then whatever happens, happens.

"I'm home."

* * *

The first thing that occurred to her when she stirred awake was that her eyes were still intact. Several abduction attempts made sure it was the first thing to cross her mind first thing of every morning of everyday for the rest of her life.

The bed she was sleeping in was not familiar, it smelled clean and was warm from her body heat, the whole room was toasty with the orange rays of a buzzing heating unit set a few feet away in her direction. There was barely any furniture save the bed and a nightstand, her dirty sandals were set on a yellowing newspaper at the foot of the only door in this room.

This wasn't home, but her Byakugan was alright and her clothes were untouched. Nothing else mattered.

She was wearing the same heavy layers on top and standard-issue pants two sizes bigger, the last outfit she'd worn to work yesterday only now it smelled of stale sweat and mud. The inside of the sheets was scratchy with dirt and several hairs she shed, the air was crisp and pleasant to take in, as if a weight had been lifted off her chest.

It was strange to feel so well-rested and relaxed considering she's been drugged and kidnapped.

Someone must have saved her because she was whole and unguarded, the window led to snow outside which would be easy to escape through unnoticed, they would've done something about it if containing her was a priority.

The sound of a kettle whistling somewhere beyond a few walls confirmed her suspicions: She was safe and welcome here.

But where was _here_?

As far as she can sense without alarming whoever was out there with activating Byakugan, there was barely anyone else around in a radius of several kilometers.

A pulled muscle in her left leg hurt, she hobbled carefully in this dim room to the wall, waited for the lightheadedness to subside, and made her way across to the groaning door. The polished wood hallway was illuminated with candles that cast an eerie glow, maybe someone is too cheap to pay for more than heating in their electricity bills. The first room she found was a bathroom, allowing her to wash up quickly to clear her eyes of grime and her face of what felt like tearstains. The taste of bitter cotton was washed away from her mouth at last, it was the bits of dried blood circling down the drain that began the cycle of terribly familiar health concerns.

If she was coughing up blood again then her heart was failing.

After so many years, why?

Her insides were both hot and cold, her breath light and overwhelming, her fingertips clammy and unstable.

The scar between her breasts was ever the same, then why were her insides so different?

The end of the hallway opened to a large dining and living area that was separated from the small kitchen with a counter, it was quiet save the sounds of someone making tea, in candlelight and afternoon sun filtering through the window, it was clear there was no one else in this big house but her.

And Uchiha Sasuke.

Somehow she wasn't surprised, as if a somewhere in her heart she had expected him.

Or maybe it was the effect of waking up form a dream saturated with his presence. A blush warmed her cheeks at remembering a little bit of the very end where she hugged him as tightly as she sometimes wished she could.

The wheeze in her chest that always bothered her in so cold a weather was quiet, this place was so still that it was hard to not hear her own footsteps on the waxed wooden floors.

His voice, when he spoke, cut through the silence like a kunai. "Tea?" he set a tray with a pot and cups on the dining table and unfolded a newspaper.

"Did I fail?" The corner she hugged felt safer than being the object of his cool gaze, she looked down at her feet the longer he remained quiet.

Why else would they send the director of HR himself, the invincible Uchiha Sasuke, to clean up after her?

The last thing she remembered was the plan going well, him excusing himself, the Cloud nin sharing a knowing glance, and the taste of her lemon water going slightly acidic after she spoke with the waitress.

And then Karen refused to proceed when it was time to do the switch, allowing the poison to invade her whole system…

"Hmm…" He pursed his lips in thought and flipped a few pages. "Fail? Depends on how you look at it."

Hinata limped to the only other chair at the dining table when he turned the newspaper in her direction, and tapped a finger on the biggest headline: Uchiha Sasuke plots with the Water Country to kidnap rich man's daughter!

He didn't look too worried, or maybe that was the mask he wears when he's cornered.

The flashy subtitles scattered around the article read: Cloud kidnappers arrested at the border of The Hot Springs after she escaped, Uchiha still missing! Several culprits who facilitated the event exposed at the very heart of the Hokage's office! Human experimentation labs found all over the Water country! Mizukage is horrified at the scandal, closes down the country's biggest medical institutes for questioning!

The other articles on the second and third pages were about the same event, as if it was the most exciting thing since the ten-tails attack:

Girl's father offers 150,000,000 Ryu to whoever can bring his daughter back unharmed, 10,000R to expose a culprit.

Cloud Ninja kills self in the Leaf's interrogation department following the exposure of their abduction plans, officials claim 'no foul play' was involved.

War hero Uzumaki Naruto swears that no member of the Cloud will enter the Land of Fire until firm laws prohibiting their research on human subjects are set in place, departs to manage talks in person today.

A summit to discuss further treaties is called in the Land of Frost, borders to every village are at top-state alert for the girl.

No official statement over the Uchiha's affiliation, assumed to be with the Leaf until further notice.

The fourth page finally settles down to more normal news: The land of Rain defaults on a leader when other candidates withdrew. The economic value of hay from the village of Grass continues to rise. Athletic summit postponed in the land of Rock because the teams can't make it through the border checkpoints.

It was strange to read a paper full of news knowing they were mostly driven by her little self. The world was spinning on a pin and here she was in the peaceful countryside, chatting over tea.

"Why did you make it look like you kidnapped me?"

Sasuke poured her a cup of tea and edged it to her end of the table, making a point not to look her in the eye. "It wasn't part of the plan."

She waited for him to elaborate but he didn't, simply poured himself a cup and sat to stare at it like the answers would float with the scattered leaves on the surface. "Why are you here, then? Didn't you say I'll be on my own if I failed?"

All she had to do was let them pull a sack over her head and not die, what's there to mess up?

"You played your part well. I was there to set an illusion on their minds to make the switch easier, it was Karin who refused to go on without being a brat about it. She's usually aware of these things but I guess this was something she had to actually touch you to find." across the table, he surprised her by holding her hand and activating a jutsu that prodded her injuries curiously -a technique only Tsunade knew- the chewed part of her lip, the dryness in the corners of her eyes, the tight muscle in her leg, the blush blossoming on her face at his touch. "Then I noticed it too, so I brought you here while I sorted it out away from the chaos in the village. I don't mind that they would come up with something like this as long as I've crushed it once and for all. If anything, it's doing my work for me: Your father's putting his connections to some good use to find out who could benefit from it, in two days he ripped out of office those I couldn't catch in two months."

Her hand grew cold when he removed his, they held their cups firmly in an attempt to restore some heat. "I don't understand… What did you and Karin san notice?"

Snort. "You say it so innocently. How did I not see it before?" it bothered him that she faked the confusion so convincingly he forgot to drink his calming jasmine tea. "Pretend all you want. He couldn't have planted it in five seconds like the shrimp; this was elaborate, crude but complicated. He had you for all the time he needed."

"Who are you talking about?!"

"Kabuto!" He snapped.

"Wha…?! Are you just making things up now?"

"Shut up!"

What a rare sight, Uchiha Sasuke was_ really, unreservedly_ angry.

The continued blinking of her eyes was not answer enough, at the same time he didn't want to hear any excuses and found himself caught between needing confirmation and dreading it. "You thought I wouldn't find out huh? When did it start, at work? When you got the apartment? At the hospital?_ From the very beginning?"_

"What's the very beginning, anyway?" A delicate hand rested on her chest, questioning the lightness of her breath and the ease with which her heart beat. Something _was_ different, the tightness in her gut was gone, she was cold but the fluid around her heart wasn't overflowing through the mouth, her old injury should be acting up but it wasn't.

She's been told the blocked points in her chest were too far gone to restore, that not even a miracle worker like Tsunade can return her to that ideal physical condition before Neji attacked her in the Chuunin exams.

The ominous figure in her sleep wasn't the angel of death, was he? She'd heard about Kabuto being a healer, but he was also a spy and a dangerous opponent with questionable intentions. Even if he could've healed her she would never risk him getting close enough to take her eyes. "When could he have gotten to me?"

"That's what I'm asking!"

"I don't know either! I'd remember if someone like that touched me! My whole life I've been trained not to let strangers get close, a Hyuuga wouldn't be left without a seal if there was a one percent chance for their body to be used by someone else! I may be the leader's daughter but I'm not exempt from that! My team wouldn't let him, they'll never forget to tell me even if he did! I had _no_ contact with that person, there must be some kind of mistake!"

He looked like he'd rather be listening to oldies music on the radio than her theories –excuses!- and it was the coldest expression he'd ever aimed her way. "Look at the article about the Rain, those puppets he controlled fell apart like castles of cards. Same method he used to control that dead guy who burned the Academy down. Naruto wasted months there trying to sort it out and all along it was _you_…"

"It wasn't _me!_" She squeaked, "I didn't even know!"

"Hnf. Whatever." The first sip of tea was hot and watered down, the second just as unpleasant and the third, bitter and contemplative. "You're in luck because no one will believe me even if I accused you of anything, so we're gonna stay put until I'm certain you weren't controlling someone in Konoha as well."

Her mouth ran dry at the thought of being his captive just like the newspapers claimed, "You're holding me prisoner?!"

His finger tapped the newsflash, "I'm accused of kidnapping you already, Ibiki's torture chamber is waiting for me no matter what truth I tell. So yeah, if I'm damned if I do and damned if I don't, might as well take you hostage."

"Till when?"

"Until I say so. Now drink your tea."

The steam was warm on her lips as she took what felt like the first drink in weeks, the one persistent thought lingering in the back of her throat escaped before she could refine it. "If you trusted me before when it was there, why not now that you've taken it out?"

There was no immediate answer, he looked at her, he saw the moisture stubbornly clinging to her lashes, he made up his mind and sucked a breath to speak, in the end he never replied.

Eventually, the only sounds she listened to were the hum of the fridge, the buzz of the electric heating unit by their feet, and the occasional sip of tasteless tea.

At the bottom of her cup was a small shriveled leaf, she turned it this way and that to watch the clear waves toss it around helplessly, working up the courage to say something or the other.

If she was going to be kidnapped by him, there needed to be some clear boundaries. "I won't follow any rules." Out of context, that was the second most horrible thing she could have told him. The first most horrible was, "I mean…! You don't scare me!"

"Because you were never on the other end of my sword." He scowled and leaned back on the creaky chair, unbothered by her challenging words or the determination in her eyes.

"No, I don't mean that in a defying way!"

"You've always defied me. It should have been the first clue."

"I'm not his pawn!" Her cup hit the table louder than acceptable of a proper lady, Sharingan flashed in his eyes at the aggression. "Why does it sound like you're making it up to take my eyes for yourself?"

"What makes you think I'm not?" His expressionless face contradicted the need to keep his eyes prepared. "Eyeballs with Dojutsu are hella expensive in the black market, did you know that?"

Her pleading eyes were set on him for long, trying to understand where he was coming from. He never let his guard down for a second. "I thought we were friends." His eyes when she peeked through her fringe were cold and expectant, like he was waiting for her to do something wrong to justify murdering her. She didn't want to fight him, only an idiot got into a scuffle with Uchiha Sasuke and the only idiot who did had a lineup of tailed beasts on his side. "If you only found out about this recently, why else did you hate me?"

"Hate you?"

The transition from red to black was a relief, but not as great as the genuine surprise in his voice.

Did he… _not_ hate her?

"Yes, well… It was hard to miss, we used to spend so much time together and then suddenly you can barely talk to me. You hang out with others but when you see me you remember all the things that keep you busy. And now this… I don't know if you're pushing for a fight or if you're really keeping me here for the safety of others…" Her intertwined fingers stopped being interesting the longer he kept quiet. "I won't fight you, it will either end with my death or with me killing you, and I'd rather have neither."

Her submissive statement might as well have been a spit in his general direction because in an instant he was out of his chair with a sneer on his face and a hand reaching for her neck.

Reacting on instinct before logic, she knocked back his wrist with the heel of her hand, turning off the point like a light, and jumped out of her seat to stand a safe distance away from any obstacles. His reluctance for furnishing was becoming an advantage, to him there was nothing to use as a weapon, to her it was just another open dojo to dance however she liked.

"Whose house is this?" She rolled down the sleeves of her jacket to cover her palms.

"Mine." He kept his eyes on her, the actual weight of his Eternal Mangekyou's power was haunting to experience in person, like a claustrophobic cloud of mist closing in around them. "I bought it a few years ago, a housekeeper cleans it when I message her. I'm not telling you where it's located."

The apologetic smile wore off her face in seconds, she knocked back the saltshaker he chucked with accuracy towards her nose and hissed at the pain that traveled up her arm at contact. Sasuke didn't have weapons, so he came at her with his limbs. He was fast and efficient, she was injured and reluctant, and before she could get another word in, his elbow hit her in the face and she reeled back with blood running down her nose and tears of pain clinging to her lashes.

And then she blinked away the illusion to find that her nose was alright, that the Uchiha was teaching her a lesson without landing any actual hits.

Activating her Byakugan meant he wouldn't mess with her with illusions anymore, even if it increased her headache. "Does Naruto kun know where we are?"

"Probably not." His Eternal Mangekyou softened to basic Sharingan, not wanting to emit too much chakra to trace. "Snake messengers are hard to follow, it'll take that idiot some time to decipher my message and answer back."

"What did you tell him?" Her eyes were on him in case he moved for another attack which left her completely open to the snake that wrapped around her right ankle and pulled it from under her, the slap of her hands on the floor was loud but so was the grunt that escaped his throat when her foot found his stomach. He was grinning –or grimacing- and stepping back from his attempt to pin her to the floor, it allowed her a moment to right herself up and allowed his body to disappear in a puff of smoke.

He was standing relaxed behind her, amused.

"You're going easy on me." Her brows pulled together, offended.

"So are you, what's with those sleeves."

"I don't want to kill you!"

"Unless you're aiming to kill, you won't land one hit. I'm disappointed, maybe I should've kidnapped your cousin, wasn't he the strongest?" He was too comfortable in his unbalanced stance thinking she would listen to him till the end, he didn't know what hit him until he was flat on his back staring at the wooden beams in the ceiling, colors danced around his peripheral vision and the backs of his legs stung.

Hinata's face was tight with veins of Byakugan and the displeasure of being ridiculed. "Neji-nii had a tree run through his chest during the war, I'm second in strength to Hanabi now." The hands that peeked out of the sleeves were cotton-white with roughly cropped nails, her knuckles were scarred from training but only barely. "Did you tell him you abducted me?"

Sasuke hopped up to his feet without caring that his dry lip split open or that he bit a sizable portion of the inside of his mouth, blood and saliva dribbled down his chin in a steady stream. He worked the wrist she'd hit moments ago to restore some sensitivity, the fingers curled but the sensory system had shut down, it felt like he'd slept on his arm for two hours and now it was a swollen tingly weight by his side. "I told him to keep an eye out, who knows how many puppets made it up the ranks."

His punch buzzed next to her left ear, she had to turn off the light in his bicep to make sure he couldn't use any electric jutsu on her. His hot breath washed down the side of her face, it took great willpower not to poke his throat to disable fire jutsu as well, it would mute his voice and if he was sensitive there at all, it could obstruct his airways.

Defense was her strongest point and he learned that early on, the only way to get her to attack would be to taunt her. She breathed through rounded lips and watched him attempt a genjutsu again. The darkness that settled on them both dispersed like fog under a hot sun, he stood in front of her with wide eyes and she smiled in apology because she didn't need to know what he would try to do in an illusion to negate it. "Kurenai taught me all about sharingan genjutsu."

"What does she know about Sharingan?" his demeaning sneer straightened at the unexpected answer.

"She lived through a battle with Uchiha Itachi."

Just when she thought the fight was over he came at her again, arms and legs kicking and punching with great control, barely grazing her vital spots while she struggled to catch up with his speed. Showing her that he was purposely missing her because he chose to, not because he couldn't.

By the time he landed the third punch into her kawarimi it was beginning to dawn on him that the less serious he was, the more of his chakra points she blocked without actually touching them.

Hinata stood a few feet away with her arms out and her knees slightly bent, still on the defense. "Is Karin san still around?"

Sasuke was busy formulating a different tactic and could spare a moment to answer. Somehow it had turned from an angry release of frustration into a spar. Or maybe as an ambitious shinobi he was trying to get her to use most of her jutsu to learn how to fight a Hyuuga before he disposed of her. "She's at the Sound by now, that paper was printed a few days ago, even if they find her she won't know where we are. We won't be interrupted by her if that's what you're asking."

A few days…?

How long has she been asleep?!

Her eyes wandered for just an instant, enough for him to lung at her and aim to kick her knees to where they shouldn't bend. The jump was easy, it's the landing that was painful when the muscle in her left leg finally gave out, excruciating burn blinded her momentarily. With one hand he looped her arm around her neck and held it to the back of her head, effectively choking her with her own limb, and with the other squeezed the palm that landed on his chest, a few inches away from his main chakra pool.

It was suddenly very quiet, nothing but their mingled breath filled the lack of conversation and nothing but the feel of the other's heartbeat kept them from addressing the stalemate.

She could expel a single burst of chakra and disable his heart just like Neji did to her all those years ago, Sasuke could yank her arm and break her throat in a fraction of a second.

The perspiration glistening on his forehead, restraint evident in the tiny muscle twitching under his eye, it was her chance to stay alive.

"How long was I asleep?" She gulped back the dryness in her mouth and wet the sandpaper of her lips.

"Sleep? I'd say a couple of hours." With relative ease he brought back her other hand to join the one on his chest. "You're been feverish for three days at least."

Her glossy eyes flashed down to the sight of her small hands in his big tanned ones, his face was tight in concentration when she looked back up. "And you took care of me?"

His chest rose and fell heavily. "Look at you, about to have your eyes plucked out and you still won't go for the kill."

"You don't want my eyes." One of her hands slipped out of his grip slowly to undo the damage in his wrist. He let her touch his chin for the bleeding to stop, his shoulder for the numbness to wash away, his bicep for the heaviness to lift; not once taking his eyes off her. "Naruto kun will be sad if I kill you."

"I don't need excuses."

He kept her left hand on his chest, daring her to turn that main switch off like some suicidal game of chicken. "You're the last Uchiha in the world…"

"I don't want your sympathy."

The tendons in the back of his hand were impressive, he must have trained very hard to have those perfectly calloused knuckles. Compared to him, her hands were like flimsy marshmallow bags. "Are you waiting for me to kill you?"

"I'm waiting to hear why you won't."

Was he hoping for something that will convince him she was sent by someone?

To do what, kill him? Convert him? Seduce him?

And then what, take him to a castle in the forest like a foreign fairy tale?

"Why are you laughing?" His nose flared in insult, he let her hand go. "Spill it!"

Her breath finally slowed down enough to speak comfortably, there was no metallic taste in her mouth or a gagging sensation in her throat. It was a nice upgrade in health even if she felt lightheaded. "I just don't want to kill you."

"Lies!" The aggravation in his voice threatened to start another battle, so she let the words go without a filter.

"I heard you calling for me in there, in that genjutsu or subconscious, I don't know- telling me to come back… I died, didn't I?" It wasn't his mouth that answered, but the guilty aversion of the eyes. "He tried to take me with him, I don't remember why but I remember him standing there, telling me to let go. Is he very pale? Long white hair in a ponytail and big round glasses?"

The stiffness of his back and the square of his shoulders relaxed slightly, the distrust in his eyes simmered down to curiosity. "He hadn't looked like that in years."

She shrugged and hung her head, uncertain of what any of it could change. "I guess I didn't want to come back... Not for Naruto kun, not for Kurenai, not for anyone… It was like I've given up."

"You were hallucinating…"

She shook her head and continued to stare at the floor, big fat tears were bouncing off her lashes and she didn't want to show them to him, "I only came back for you! So please…"

He stood there to watch her cry like she was behind a television screen and he was an uninvolved spectator.

One breath, two breaths.

And then he decided to get involved. "What are you asking?"

"…I don't know! I just don't like it when you're angry at me. I don't like it when I don't know what you want from me! I miss you but I don't know if I'm allowed to say it. I want to hang out with you but you look angry if I try so I tell myself not to waste your time. It hurts when you're there and it hurts when you're not, and I don't know how to make it stop! I don't remember when it started to be this way, I don't remember the beginning, I don't even remember a time when you weren't there!"

A surprise sob interrupted the breaking of the dam, she didn't care, it was too late to fake composure anyway. "It's not like with Naruto at all! It's not enough to just look anymore, I've become greedy and pushy and intrusive, and if you don't tell me why you hate me then I would never stop trying to fix it! I don't care if you don't believe me, but if you do- If… If you still care –even just a little bit! I want to accept that. I don't know what words to use but that's what I want. It's not because you're the last Uchiha or because Naruto will be sad, I was selfish, I just didn't want to live in a world without you in it!"

She couldn't see what kind of face he was making, even if the blurry world through her tears could be cleared, she was crying too hard into her hands to dare peek through the wet fingers. At least, not until he pulled her off the floor in a bone-crushing hug and groaned his frustration in the crook of her neck. She hugged him back gratefully, pulling so tight she thought her flesh would blend into his, crying and laughing against his shoulder with abandon; her brain stopped processing anything beyond this simple gesture of acceptance.

The noises in his throat vibrated against her, reducing himself to an instinctive form of communication when words no longer sufficed. His unspoken protests dipped straight in her belly in that ticklish fizzy pot of happy soup, curling her toes and warming her cheeks. She held on for as long as he would let her, for all those days she couldn't be with him and for all the ones to come, charging up a battery she hadn't been aware existed.

He set her down when his back threatened to give in to the weight, following her when her knee buckled in response to the pain in her calf, until they were on their knees in the middle of the bare living room. She clung to his neck stubbornly, he buried his nose in that warm spot below her ear. "I wouldn't know what to do with myself if you died…"

The tears she thought she'd finally pushed back washed her face like a waterfall again.

Was _this_ why he was upset?

He was worried about losing her?

Scared for her? Scared _of_ her! Watching her tiptoe on a thin line between life and death for several days, ready to join his family at any moment…

Who wouldn't find it easier to hate in that situation?

"I'm here." She cried into his hair, happy and sad and just as scared. She'd watched Hanabi nearly slip away once or twice and wouldn't wish that terror on anyone. "I'm right here, you brought me back!" he nodded twice against her neck, pulled her tighter like he couldn't believe she was real. He didn't have to say anything for her to know this was a side of him nobody else was allowed to see, she rubbed his back soothingly and wiped on her sleeve the constant stream that washed down her chin.

For a terrible lifetime it felt like this wasn't something they were allowed to have, to be warm and safe in someone's arms.

It was ironic considering this was something normal people could have any day, relationships that didn't start or end with death, unconditional love that didn't have to be paid back, a hug that didn't need to be justified or fought for.

After he cleared his throat two more times, his voice finally worked. "You could be playing me like a flute and I wouldn't have a clue. You know what? I can take you on, I'm Uchiha Sasuke, let's do this."

She pushed hair and tears off her face and laughed –or cried?- up at his brave clench of the jaw. "But I thought it was gone. Are you saying you didn't finish the job?!"

"Of course I did!" If he hadn't been upset, if his eyes weren't bloodshot and his nose red, she would have assumed he was blushing.

It was cute.

Now that she was doing more laughing and less crying it was safe to look into his eyes and hope she didn't horrendously misunderstand everything. "All this time I thought you hated me!"

"You think I'd bother with any of this if I hated you?" His words were firm, his voice gentle. His dirty sleeve rubbed her face to remove a sparkling fat tear that lingered on her squishy cheek. "You think I'd care if your sister or kids or grandkids lived in fear of abduction if you were another Hyuuga on the street? You think killing the vessel wasn't the easiest way to get rid of a threat? I don't know what else you want me to do, because I'm _not saying it_."

Glossy bright eyes stared at him in confusion, then in disbelieving embarrassment, as beautiful and expressive as the first time he _really_ looked at her that day in the dingy community kitchens.

His calloused fingertips touched her chin absently, drawing a shy smile and a noticeable blush across her whole face, she knew what was coming and didn't turn away, and it was all the encouragement he needed. He kissed her lightly, warily, as if he wasn't quite sure how enthusiastic he was allowed to be, peeking through hooded eyes for signs of resistance.

Bashful and busy swallowing back an ill-timed laugh at the base of her throat, she let him have his way.

She would never admit it, not even to herself, but this time she was actually looking forward to it.

Her lashes fluttered against his cheek, her warm breath mingled with his, his fringe clung to the corner of her mouth. It was easy and relaxed and that made her feel safe enough to attempt to kiss back, angling her head so that their noses didn't bump and allowing herself to enjoy the fragility of the moment. His hands on her arms held her lightly at the second attempt, pressing against her with a tad more confidence, she held on to his shoulders for balance and giggled at the silly sound that followed the parting of smiling lips.

There was no knocking of teeth or invasive tongues, no aggressive pushing against walls or pinning of limbs; it relieved her greatly that kissing can be simple and sweet unlike what she'd read in the books.

_I could get used to this_.

He wrapped her in his arms and let her hide her blush in his shirt, something had changed in him from before and after their not-confessions. It was impossible to mistake how happy he was of this outcome, the beat of his heart that was five times calmer, the buzz of his chakra turned smooth and bright. It was relaxing to be held so close to it, kappa could invade the world outside and she wouldn't feel like she was missing out on anything.

Maybe in some alternate reality, she would be allowed to fall asleep like this.

This reality was too cruel, however, since just as that previous thought passed, she came crashing back into the real world with a bitter realization.

A mob of shinobi were closing in on them, aggravated and murderous.

Their eyes met, having felt the presence at the same time, and stood up to meet the pack of irritated ninja that burst through the door.

Hyuuga Hanabi, Uzumaki Naruto and Morino Ibiki stood in the living room entrance glaring daggers at the kidnapper, wary of the way he pushed his hostage behind his back away from sight.

"You scummy little dirtwad!" Naruto approached without hesitation and grabbed his shirtfront, "You thought I couldn't follow a snake messenger when I had a mob of reptiles chilling in my pocket? What the hell was all that talk about disappearing once and for all? You going back on your promise?!"

Ibiki spoke from a safe distance away, "Talk later! Look at the bruises on his face, they've been fighting! Just get her out of there before he attacks again!"

Sasuke released an annoyed groan as he considered his options, there would be no talking as long as Ibiki was there picking at his every word, and Hanabi would see through any illusion he might attempt to cast; Naruto would be too impatient to listen to any rationalizations, so he turned his head to address the girl behind his back. "I'll deal with this, you can go."

"Is she brainwashed?" Ibiki questioned.

"Hyuuga can't be affected with Genjutsu." Hanabi opened her arms for her sister to run into.

Hinata swept her gaze across the many faces in worry, Naruto was genuinely upset, Hanabi was concerned but not too murderous, and Ibiki had that poker face that always got under her skin because this man always had a backup plan involving assassination. It was true even now, there were at least twenty people in the vicinity of this house and that was only the amount of people not hiding their presence.

If they returned now he would be in for another series of interrogations, he would walk the streets afterwards as if the purple bruises on his face and arms didn't hurt, like his mind and memories didn't get violated for several days in a row, he would make that cool expression every time he talked to someone because it would be fresh in his mind how easily his words can be twisted around to fit someone else's expectations.

If she went back, if she told the truth, they would announce her a traitor for willingly accompanying an enemy, and even if she somehow came out of that unscathed, it would be her family who would chain her up for going easy on a kidnapper who could have possibly taken her eyes.

If they would be allowed back in the village as civilians he will definitely be ripped out of his position as head of HR, several annoyed politicians will make sure of it, and she might be assigned local low-rank missions for as long as she was sympathetic with the Uchiha's cause.

The best case scenario would be that her reputation will be slandered for hiding away with a man, and he will be doubted tenfold for breaking the rules of his parole; they were both in for a life of isolation.

There were two options: to tell the truth and go back handcuffed, or to announce themselves enemy of the village and run away to live individually on odd jobs, to travel freely through the open world beyond Konoha walls as missing nin, unaffiliated with anyone and with no home to go back to.

He'd said it before: damned if you do, damned if you don't, might as well be the bad guy.

But those were not the only options, were they?

There was still…

Hinata stepped out from behind his back but didn't go for her sister's open arms or the intelligence commander's beckoning nod, instead she held Sasuke's arm and lied as best as she could. "He didn't kidnap me, we eloped."

It got so quiet someone's whistle of disbelief rang too loud in everyone's ears.

If Sasuke was surprised he didn't show it, no one else felt the prickly chakra under her arms or understood the questioning glance he shot her.

Naruto stood there dumbfounded, the masked ANBU members that filtered through the door exchanged confused glances, Ibiki just groaned. "Are you effing kidding me? All that freaking international chaos is happening because two kids wanna get laid?! Hyuuga, justify this to me right now!"

Hanabi was just as horrified as the next one, Ibiki's frightening presence didn't help at all. "She always had a sweet spot for him but this isn't her style!"

The interrogations expert was not convinced. "Uzumaki! Knock some sense into your friend! If I go back and tell the village their tax money was used to crash a wedding, it's not gonna be me who beats the piss out of him!"

"Hey, is it true? Did you really get married?" Naruto asked a little too calmly.

"If it wasn't true you think I'd b" Sasuke could only begin before he got punched in the teeth, blood splashed everywhere, his feet remained planted in place, steadied by Naruto's grip on his shirt.

"You bastard! You said I'd be the first to know! I'm not the first now am I? The whole world knew before I did! You were on the front page for crying out loud!"

"That's not the problem, Naruto san…" Hanabi shook her head in dismay and decided it was now safe to approach the trio. "Hinata, is it true? Did you sign a real paper and everything? Without father's permission?"

She couldn't lie about this one, it would show in her eyes if she tried, Hanabi knew her too well.

It was a relief when it wasn't her who answered. Sasuke was convincingly confident, albeit congested and teary-eyed. "That's what elopement involves, kid. Look, didn't you owe me a favor? It's payback time. This is what I want in return for saving your life."

"I can't pay you with my sister! There's like a warehouse of better guys who still got rejected, father isn't gonna be too happy about it being _you_ who scored!"

"And aren't you the one in command in your father's absence?" He smirked, aware that he was striking a sensitive nerve. "Unless you're just a puppet on strings who can't make any decisions without daddy's approval?"

Hinata knew the face Hanabi was making, it was the last face people saw before they had their navel punched in. she didn't want Sasuke to suffer through thirty days of bowl inflammation so she interrupted before that little fist curled. "It was the only way. The ninja from the Cloud tried to kidnap me from that bar and Sasuke was there anyway, he was the closest one to save me. We didn't know who else was in on it so we came here…" At everyone's intense stare she had to cover up for herself as best she could, which was why she hated lying in the first place. It was too much work for someone who was very self-conscious. "We've been engaged for a long time now, it shouldn't be a big surprise! It shouldn't be a problem with the elders as long as the Hyuuga reputation remains protected, right?"

The ANBU and their leader clucked their tongues and shuffled out dejectedly, congregating outside to discuss the formation to follow on the way back to the village.

The general anxiety in the room dropped noticeably. There will be no torture chambers warming up for an Uchiha in chains, no intrusive examinations of her body for stolen secrets or chastity, no one will suspect her of offering herself to her kidnappers and most importantly: Hanabi was safe.

Hinata wasn't too worried about paying the price or lying her way through, as long as her baby sister was okay. It didn't hurt that the Cloud learned a lesson, too.

"Dad will be pissed." Hanabi brushed a stray hair off her nose and grimaced up at the smug Uchiha. "You're gonna have to get married again when you go back, you know that, right? A big ceremony and all."

"Yeah, you also have to register every marriage in the local office, even if it's official in another village." Naruto clapped Sasuke on the shoulder affectionately, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye and sniffling through his runny nose. "You stupid duckbutt! How could you beat me even in this?! Even Chouji got married before me and he's way less cool, it's not fair! That's it, I'm gonna be married to Sakura chan by next month, I don't even care if I'm not Hokage by then!"

Hinata's alarmed gasp startled them into staring at her, her horror about missing Ino's wedding went unaddressed because Naruto asked the stupidest question in the world. "What?! What is it? Did your water break? Isn't that what married women get surprised about in movies?!"

Sasuke was the one who slapped him upside the head, but it was Hanabi who spoke. "Probably not, but I'm guessing it's only a matter of time before that happens, they've been alone for a few days now." Her narrowed eyes switched from her appalled sister to her now brother-in-law. "Let's hurry up and go back, I can't wait to watch you beg for your life when dad knows you slept with hisfavoritedaughter. You might wanna write a will for where you want your severed limbs to be buried before we get there."


	23. Chapter 23

**My One In A Million**

Chapter Twenty-Three:

The village looked the same, sounded and smelled the same, it _felt_ different.

People looked at her with wide eyes and open mouths, stared at the men and women who accompanied her from the gates to the hospital with curiosity and followed them with whispered half-truths and biased opinions.

She forgave them when they gossiped about her, the strange part was how she took it personally when they gossiped about _him_.

It seems the news of their elopement reached the village before they could, a mere two hours after being found.

Sasuke refused to be checked up by anyone before Hinata was, and he refused to be separated from her no matter what. At first it sounded like he was being childish and overprotective, but the wary glances of the hospital staff made her aware of the possibility that there might be orders from higher up. People were anxious about their lengthy absence, insecure about her affiliation with the distrustful Uchiha, and on some militarist level: suspicious of their interrupting of a plan they shouldn't have known about.

A lot of people aren't buying their excuses, and several shinobi were briefed that it had been an abduction, it would take time and vigilance to slip out of this one…

The glances they shared in the empty exam room spoke volumes, but in this stifling silence she could only think of one question. "What do we tell them?"

"Hm?"

She swung her feet over the edge of the high examination table to distract herself from the growing tension. "Are we going to _confirm our papers_?"

"Saa…" The boy's shrug was light unlike the tight knot of his brows and the down turned curve on his mouth.

Oh… Maybe he didn't want to be with her after all.

She did hit him in the chin very hard…

Then again he seemed to be convinced of her betrayal so certainly that he showed her what it would be like if he treated her the same way he treated strangers and enemies.

It wasn't a nice thing to experience, not at all.

"What if they ask about it?" Her hand landed on her chest, "The jutsu…"

"Nobody will, it's no longer there. I doubt anyone would have sensed it anyway, Karen was the only one who could and I copied it off her with the Sharingan. A failure…?" He paused for a moment in consideration, "I asked Naruto, he says no one disappeared or died here, not a single person. I'll go later to check on that Cloud nin who died in intelligence, I suspect he was the puppet master that messed things up in the Rain. The synchronized timing is suspicious, and now I'll know what technique I'm looking for."

She nodded once, embarrassed that he was busy thinking up reasons to get back to work when her whole thought process was full of bridal anxieties. "How does it even work? The technique?"

"Beats me. All I know is that if the parasite dies, problems get solved. Kabuto already died in the war, why did he have to leave unfinished jutsu here and there? Annoying…"

Sakura slid the door open to the chaos outside and shut it loudly, cutting off the chatter like turning off a sprinkler. "Good morning! Sasuke kun, Hinata chan, I'm glad you're both alright! The news made it sound awful but you look totally fine!" She offered the girl a gentle hug and smiled at the passive boy. "Naruto tells me you got married! Is it true?!"

Hinata hoped the composed boy would offer some insight, he left her to fend for herself. "Father doesn't know yet, so I'd rather not discuss it before we talk to him."

The oblivious doctor nodded her understanding. "Of course. Now let me see, are you hurt anywhere?"

With a gentle shake of the head she apologized, "I'm sorry, I feel fine. Hanabi insisted I get checked up and she wouldn't let me go back home until I did."

"That was a good call, your chakra is slightly unstable." After ticking a few boxes on her clipboard, Sakura set it aside and pulled on a pair of gloves with a menacing snap. She examined eyes, ears, mouth, listened to heartbeat and held her wrist to read vitals. She spoke halfway through healing the pulled muscle in her leg, "So, don't you want to hear about Ino's wedding that you missed? Neji told me you didn't like the dress but was it really worth skipping town for?"

Hinata hid her smile with a dirty sleeve, grateful for the attempt to break the tension. "Is she happy?"

"Yeah, she's exhausted but she's happy. All that stress was worth it, the ceremony was breathtaking! I was worried there for a sec, I don't know how I'll ever top it, and then Naruto comes back saying he wants to be married by next month! I don't know if I should kiss him or kick him." Sakura grinned at the noticeable lift in the patient's morale. "Sai made a few portraits of the ceremony, so let's look through them together when you feel like it, alright?"

"I'd like that."

Sakura chatted absently as she filled up data in the chart. "A girl's gotta celebrate her wedding however she likes, you know. It's only once so might as well make it memorable."

"What are you insinuating?" Sasuke scowled from his side of the room.

"Uh!? Nothing! I was talking about girls in general, you know. If she wants a quiet wedding she should have that, if she wants an elaborate wedding she should have that! One month isn't enough to plan a wedding, especially not a future Hokage's, so maybe I got no choice but to have a big ceremony like Ino. At the same time I understand how you'd wanna avoid all that and just get it over with. I support you, is what I'm saying, even if others are skeptical about it!"

Hinata smiled at the stiff interaction. Sakura was a prominent female figure in Sasuke's life, she was his friend and teammate and war buddy, perhaps at some point even a love interest. It wasn't clear how he felt about it, but to see the woman who spent a good decade of her life expressing undying love to this boy, it was noble of her to support him about someone else. "I think it's more important to worry about what comes _after_ the wedding than the ceremony itself, ne?"

Sakura grinned, grateful for the distraction. "Yeah, of course! That's super important!" Her grin shifted only a fraction, just enough to be suggestive. "I take it you got that outta the way, hmm? Are you sore anywhere _in particular_?"

"Ehh? N- No!" Hinata hid her blush behind her hands and looked away. "I meant- being happy together and- and talking things through as adults! Why do your thoughts have to go there right away?"

"Heeeh? So you _haven't_ gotten it out of the way!" Sakura chuckled and shot the scowling boy a knowing look. "Sasuke kun, you're actually very patient with her, aren't you?!"

"Whatever, are we done? I need a shower."

"Ahahaha! Alright, then, just one last exam." The medic nonchalantly zipped down Hinata's jacket and placed her palm on the shirt, right between the girl's breasts, feeling for that familiar gathering of dead tissue and fluid around the fragile heart. Her concentration distracted her from the horrified look the girl sent the Uchiha who clenched his jaws. "Whoa, I've never seen a condition bounce back so fast! I don't know if it's because I haven't checked in so long or if it's an actual miracle!" Sakura gasped at the feedback, the heart was strong and the tissue around it had become tender and raw which would allow it to heal in all the right spots. "And here I thought you were absolutely dead back in the coliseum! Just as expected from my muse, the strong-willed Hinata!"

Hinata pushed away from the surprise hug to look at Sakura in confusion. "You mean the injury in the chuunin exam with Neji nii?"

"After! After!" Sakura smiled wide, "You don't remember? When you passed out when Naruto was in the arena I thought you were a goner! Some ANBU medic showed up to help because back then I didn't know any healing jutsu, and there weren't any other healers around to help. You almost died and he saved you with just a small jutsu, I was like: ohhhh I want to be able to do that! So when Tsunade sama offered to teach me I couldn't wait to get started! You're the reason I decided to become a medic!"

"Really?" She'd woken up in a hospital, but wasn't that because they were attacked? "It wasn't because I got hurt in the Sound invasion? I don't remember most of it, just the chaos and Third's funeral."

Sakura zipped up the jacket and pulled off the gloves, "Hmm? Now that you mention it, those guys attacked about that time… No, I clearly remember it was right before it all happened! I even looked for the guy in the chaos to help with others who got injured, I wanted to thank him and maybe learn a thing or two from him, but I never saw him again. It doesn't help that he wore a mask…"

Sasuke shared his opinion again, this time with less anger. "It's protocol not to let ANBU healers wear masks, they could easily be _impersonated_ otherwise."

"I don't remember…!" Hinata looked between the two. "Sakura chan, you never told me!"

Sakura shrugged. "Well, it never came up!"

"So it… It could have been _anyone_ under that mask!"

The boy's voice dropped down an octave, the buzzing of his chakra simmered down. "And nobody would have a clue."

The doctor would never know why that spurred her patient into launching herself into the boy's arms, all she knew was if she ever doubted this unlikely pair had any real feelings to each other, seeing them share a tender moment removed any traces of it.

Maybe not everyone's love life had to be jewelry boxes and fireworks, Sakura thought, maybe she and Naruto could elope and just focus on being happy, too…

* * *

It was Sasuke who barged into her father's study, she was the one to flinch. Neji and Hanabi who brought them to the Hyuuga main house decided to wait outside and eavesdrop through the thin sliding doors –for their personal safety.

They came here straight from the hospital, dirt, sweat and all. "Father, I apologize for the delay, I was escorted to the hospital even after I told Hanabi I didn't need it." She bowed her head until her forehead touched the backs of the hands she lay flat on the floor. "Please understand this is the best outcome possible."

Sasuke didn't bow or apologize, "You can see she's alive and sane, can I go now?"

Hiashi released a breath through his teeth and set aside whatever he had been reading to fix them with a direct stare. "Are you well?"

Hinata smiled, Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I'm great, better than I've ever been! Sakura chan said even my old injury is clearing, I don't know why but I do find it easier to breathe!"

Father nodded his understanding and turned frosty eyes to the young man. "Pulling off something like this to have it your way was dishonorable of you. I hope you have a good excuse."

Sasuke had seated himself on a cushion next to her, he sat comfortably with an elbow over his knee as he joined the Hyuuga in an unblinking staring contest. "She was an easy target."

Hiashi sat behind his desk looking quite exhausted, his thoughts unreadable. His hair was nice and straight albeit peppered with more white hairs than he had days ago, it was obviously his face that had grown a few years older. It was almost saddening to watch the effect of stress on so proud a man.

Hiashi's knobby hands shook slightly as he took a sip from the cup at his side, appearing nonchalant about the whole affair. "Was there consummation?"

"Yes." Sasuke said without hesitation.

Hinata gasped and repeated the word "No!" in so many varying nuances with so many facial expressions it was impossible even for the Uchiha to keep a straight face.

"Pfft… Alright, he gets it."

_Fact 1_: She can say no to him.

"That is great news to me," Hiashi said with carefully-masked relief, "It means you can be separated with minimal damage."

Sasuke made a sudden movement which got the occupants of the room and several ones outside it to be on the alert. It would have looked like a sword-drawing pose if he had brought his katana with him, now he was just baring a knee with one of his sleeves rolled up. "Does this look like minimal damage to you?" His arm sported a nebula of blown chakra points, now greenish blue and beginning to heal, and his shin that peeked between the cuff of pants and sandal was equally bruised where she kicked him with her bare heel. "You're delusional if you think she needs saving. An idiot if you can't see she's _letting_ you push her around."

_Fact 2_: She hit one of the craziest ninja in the neighborhood and got away with it.

"What happened?"

The two shared an uncomfortable look.

"Just a light spar." "It was a misunderstanding…"

Hinata stopped biting her lips and broke the tense silence that followed, knowing for sure that her father was listing his options to dispose of the Uchiha. "Father… Will I be disowned?"

"It is difficult to disown someone who already left the family registry." a few wrinkles around his eyes deepened, a secret smile. "Unless you haven't really signed anything…?" His eyes might seem blank but they took in every little detail, the surprise, the questioning facial expression, the tones of voice; they had a telepathic thing going on. The casual way the boy handed her a tissue box like he'd read her mind was both irritating and remarkable; neither spoke in favor or against.

_Fact 3_: They did not really run away to get married, nor were they officially registered anywhere, but the prospect of it was a better alternative to whatever real reason they've escaped the village.

He was in charge of the situation now, he could steer it in any direction he wanted with a few simple words: to let her go with the Uchiha meant a troublesome life because they were both rebellious in their own ways, then again he was a worrier, she could be married to a flower pot and he'd still lose sleep over it. To take her back would mean they'd dodged a bullet as a noble family, but his righteous daughter might feel the choice was made in her stead, especially if she had any actual feelings for the frigid boy.

Having an Uchiha son in law, though, after so many generations of keeping all branches of dojutsu separate… It would require updating the rules, upsetting several elders and endless meetings with accountants.

Ibiki had spoken to him in the short hour that took for them to visit the hospital, and as furious as he had been about the news, he'd had enough time to think it through and decide it could be salvaged as long as nobody had gotten hurt.

It was decided to let everything run it's current course with as little interference as possible, that way the whole event will be set aside in the news and gossip as a silly teenager's show of commitment, while keeping the actual attempted kidnapping to be easily managed behind closed doors through the proper political channels.

For now, it was convenient to pretend not to have been in on it, even if he was one of the main players. Hinata was supposed to come here for the party and Sasuke was supposed to go home to who they assumed was his girlfriend. It had been planned to involve Hanabi who was stronger and more likely to follow orders to the death, she was the second daughter and even if women were not branded with the branch family seal, it could be negotiated if things didn't turn out well. The secrets of the Byakugan would be protected, at least, and no lives would be lost.

But this… It was not the plan, Nara Shikamaru was mildly annoyed even if on some absentminded level he'd seen it coming. To Hiashi it was an acceptable outcome just as much as the next.

Hinata and Hanabi were alive and safe, was it really necessary to enforce one of two options on the daughter he just barely got back?

She would go away no matter what he chose, so he decided on the third option: maybe he was too biased and under-informed of the whole situation, he'd spent so much of his time trying to make sure the Uchiha was keeping a safe distance that he couldn't see it was his daughter drawing near.

So he called in the cousin and sister. "What do you think?"

They both sat with their backs set straight and their eyes carefully neutral. Hanabi spoke first. "About what, exactly?"

"This whole elopement business, for starters." He could push them a little notch or two, just to test it out, just for kicks.

Because I'll be damned if I handed her away without a fight!

Hanabi shot a glance at Hinata who dodged it by rearranging her hair and making sure her tissues were folded into perfect squares, next her pleading gaze was turned to Neji who spoke calmly to the fists he set on his knees. "Hinata sama expressed to me how comfortable she is in his presence, and when I asked immediate associates, they said Uchiha san seems to treat her fairly well, different than the way he interacts with others he is not on friendly terms with."

Hanabi nodded in agreement, having witnessed both his kind and evil sides firsthand. Neji continued regardless of the other boy's insulted sneer. "However I cannot claim it to only mean romantic attraction, or accept it as a reason to rush into a complex relationship such as marriage. If Sasuke kun was spontaneous about some things, I assure you they are both rational individuals. I find it difficult to take this grave situation at face value without knowing the details. For starters, who did they kidnap, if not Hinata sama?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "A girl named Karin, ask Ibiki about her, it's not the first time she gets into something like this."

"I see… Why would she impersonate a Hyuuga?"

Irritated with the interrogation, Sasuke straightened and fixed the young man with a glare. "Look, I was busy somewhere else. You can discuss it with the commander over coffee and cake if that's your thing."

"Indeed, he will be visiting tomorrow to explain the situation in an official meeting," Hiashi offered, "There will be tea and dinner. You are welcome to join if you wish."

Sasuke's arch of the brow was simultaneous to Hinata's wary averting of the eyes, he relaxed just enough to convince them of his disinterest. "I'd rather catch up on sleep, actually."

The younger ones seemed to be thoroughly convinced that the Hyuuga clan really didn't know about any of the Cloud –and intelligence's- plans. Ibiki was good at what he did, he must be trying to keep the whole thing under wraps by promoting the elopement charade to the public to keep a tight lid on information.

If Hanabi heard bits and pieces or she was informed of the situation on their way to the safe house, she was smart enough to keep her assumptions to herself until she had enough to construct a reasonable theory.

Or maybe she was bottling it up for when she had him in private.

This was going to be a long day.

The youngest had to cut through the tension in the air when it dulled to an awkward kind of expectant silence. "Him I understand, he was always looking at you. It bugged me when I thought I liked him because he wouldn't notice me at all when you're there. What I don't get is _you_ running away to get married to _him_, weren't you all about Naruto?"

"Naruto kun has made his decision a long time ago…"

"Really? I thought that kind of rejection would just fire you up more!" the youngest smiled wickedly, "Then again you always got sick if this guy did something stupid, it should've been the first clue!"

"That's not true!" Hinata gushed with a bright blush. "It- that was a cold!"

"Ooh? And that time you said you heard a girl in his apartment? You got sick for two weeks straight!"

"That- maybe it was the stomach bug…?" Her diminishing defense was unconvincing, as if she herself had only noticed it now. Slowly, she wrung the tissue this way and that in hesitation, and when nobody said any more embarrassing things, she had to ask. "Am I being interrogated to decide a punishment?"

Losing one member of his family to spare the name of the clan was already too high a price to pay, Hiashi did not plan on making a tradition out of it. "Hinata san, I may not understand the situation completely, I can see there are things you cannot reveal and I hope one day you will confide in me. But know this: you will always be my daughter. You and your sister's happiness comes first, no matter what anybody else demands. You will not be punished for trying to find happiness, I will not allow it."

Her forehead touched her knuckles again, the gratitude poured with tears of happiness. "Thank you, father! I appreciate it, I really do!"

The study became quiet and several eyes turned away from the crying Hyuuga to offer her some means of privacy, the Uchiha was stiff as a sword, impatience rolled off him in waves.

The clan leader knew that the boy wanted to go, but things needed to be settled now once and for all. The only problem was that a part of him was sure if he brought it up, it will not end in his favor. He'd watched his daughters speak about Uchiha Sasuke regularly over dinner, while they put their sandals on in the genkan, sometimes even during entertaining events when they thought nobody was listening. This was the first time he'd been in the same room with all three of them together.

Their interactions were definitely eye-opening.

Even when the youngest was open about her crush for as long as it lasted, she was reluctant to act upon it. While the eldest who was shy and reserved somehow managed to accept him in her life just as simply she accepted the handful that was Uzumaki Naruto.

Hanabi was easy to reign in, she had no secrets and sought him out for advice all the time, he knew everything about Hanabi. Hinata, on the other hand, doesn't even realize how independent she'd become.

Naruto might have taught her how to be brave for others, which was great for a community-oriented clan. Sasuke was teaching her how to be brave for herself, and that's a traditional father's living nightmare.

"What will you do?" He finally asked the couple wriggling impatiently on their numb legs.

"Eh? About what?" Hinata looked everywhere but at his face.

He would have assumed she was really naive and clueless, but now, after everything, he was convinced that she was observant and quick, and was simply reluctant to be the first one to partake in a life-changing conversation. Even the Uchiha rolled his eyes like this trait bothered him just as much. It was infuriating how well this kid knew his sweet little girl when he himself had trouble wrapping his head around her. "I can clearly see you've had no intention to be married until very recently, so now that it is fact, I can only assume you plan to either go through with it, or live separately and hope no one will point it out. So I am asking you: What will you do?"

"Oh…" the tissue in her hand was twisted mercilessly as she considered, eventually addressing the boy to her side when it looked like the staring contest between him and the other occupants of the room would not answer anything. "As for me, I will keep my word. Sasuke, you are free to decide on what you want."

Hinata, she...

Dear lord.

She'd grown. The little red newborn he'd held in his hands yesterday was now a strong woman who stood on her two feet and held her ground. The little girl he'd thought fragile and useless was now beating up legendary shinobi and bringing them home like injured pets. For years he'd thought she was too weak to achieve anything, and here she is discussing a husband of her choosing right before his eyes.

The boy's general behavior had improved noticeably as well, the first time he was here he'd been snappish, conceited, and had refused to involve himself with the clan and village in any shape or form. Now he had unknowingly –or perhaps knowingly- prevented the sorrows of the past from ever repeating themselves by pointing the blame in the right direction. Those previously haunted eyes were now sharp with clarity, he was behaving himself like a proper adult because _she_ was here. He could have refused to come back to the village and rode a hawk into the horizon, but he came back to be by her side.

Literally and figuratively.

A lesser man would hit and run, but to have ran and returned without seizing the chance to be a hormonal teenager earned him a second thought.

Mother had prayed that night when Hinata was born and named, that she would grow up to be a gentle and warm figure in the life of those around her, a sunny spot in someone's cold darkness. And here she was, his baby girl, being exactly that, even when mother was no longer here to see it.

_Fact 4_: Father has already lost.

Everyone in that room was aware that whatever it is Sasuke had to say would tip the scale to one side or the other, it all depended on the words that would leave his mouth next.

What he ended up saying was surprisingly cryptic. "When it's like this, is it freedom at all?"

* * *

Hinata woke up the next morning with the heaviness of dread weighing her down through the morning routine. She'd spent the night at the family house, the whole of yesterday was spent being examined by the family doctor and catered to by old and compassionate matrons and greeting the many torrents of friends and business partners who came to congratulate.

Today was supposed to be an empty schedule, it was supposed to be her honeymoon, but Sasuke was no where in sight.

He was gone the moment father's study door was opened, and hadn't come back since.

The last thing he spoke was both critical and dismissive, and up until now she hadn't had a free moment to find him and demand an explanation.

Did he want to be free of her? After everything they _didn't_ say at the vacation house?

Maybe it offended him when she spoke in a superior tone about having made her mind, maybe it made him think his opinion didn't make much of a difference to her after everything because of the way she said it.

She didn't mean it that way, she just wanted to take the pressure off...

She hadn't slept well, everyone could see that she was pale and lethargic and unapologetically distracted. Shower and blow-dry went by in a blur, and breakfast was tasteless despite the chef's enthusiasm and creativity.

Before she could snap out of it she was at the apartment complex, but he wasn't there. He wasn't at the office, either. Before she could activate her Byakugan and scan the village or manually search in all the places he could have gone to, the secretary of HR told her the Hokage wanted to speak to both of them if they showed up for work.

It wasn't possible that he would be there, he'd been eager to get back to work so he must have seen the old lady yesterday already. Still, she brushed down any snowy hairs, wet her dry lips and pushed through the heavy double doors of Tsunade's office.

"Ah, Hinata chan!" Tsunade grinned and nodded for Naruto to go ahead with whatever documents he had in his hands. "Come on in, have a seat!"

"Yo, Hinata chan! You look a little under the weather, everything alright?"

The current Hokage cleared her throat, "Naruto, be nice."

"I am nice! I just got worried there for a second, that's all!"

Hinata smiled as best she could, she never liked it when she was the center of attention, and having Naruto finally admit to worrying about her was too much to handle right now. "I'm good."

"Great, see! No harm done!" The boy patted her on the back with the folder as he headed out, "Take care of yourself, alright? Go on a fancy honeymoon or something, pull that stick outta his ass while you're down there!"

"Naruto I swear!" Tsunade thundered as the boy cackled and shut the door behind him for safe measures. "Huff, it's a hundred years too early for that kid to wear the hat. Relax, dear, sit down."

"Thank you." Hinata relaxed her posture and eased into one of the large leather seats on either side of the desk.

"How are you doing, health wise? Sakura tells me your condition is getting better?"

Tsunade was at some point highly invested in trying to cure her because it wasn't like any other condition she'd seen before. After a few months of stability and no answer on the horizon, they got busy with more pressing matters. Maybe she thought it was incurable, or maybe she thought it was a jutsu she could crack which turned out to be a normal occupational hazard incurable with ninja techniques.

Hinata didn't know, what she knew was that if she wanted to stay out of trouble, nobody needed to know about the situation of her heart.

Unless Sakura had told her more than she let on… Did the medic put two and two together? Was her coded conversation with Sasuke in that examination room too obvious?

Were they already under watchful eyes? Is that why Sasuke disappeared?

"I'm good." She spoke breathlessly, cringing inwardly at how she repeated herself like a stupid head. "I can breathe even if it's a little cold, but I'm still a little tired." For more reasons than one.

"I see." For a nerve-wracking moment the lady just stared with those piercing honey eyes like she was hoping for more, and then she leaned back in her expensive seat and tapped finely painted nails on the wooden desktop. "She also told me you got married? To Uchiha Sasuke? What's that all about?"

Oh no… "W- we've been engaged for a long time, is it really a surprise?"

"It is, actually." She chuckled, "You're a sweet girl, I don't blame him for falling for you. Why would you agree, though? I thought he was the farthest from a nice guy?"

"Is there a problem, ma'am?" She tried not to recoil too obviously, she really did. "I- I don't understand why you're asking me these questions…"

The Hokage's laid back attitude gave way to the seriousness she'd held at bay when she thought she could charm the girl off. "It's about Uchiha Sasuke. He chose you out of everyone else, you, the daughter of the one family he hates the most. You know his ins and outs and you know what ticks him off and what keeps him sane. Up until you showed up in his peripheral vision we had to think up ways to keep him sedated. Boring jobs, repetitive paperwork, even allowed him to destroy the abandoned fields to vent off. He was a ticking seal and you disabled it, I don't really care what you did to make him that way, but I want you to keep at it."

They want her to babysit Uchiha Sasuke? But why?

"I don't understand… If we're already together, what are you asking of me?"

Tsunade smiled tightly, "I'm not _asking_ anything," not officially, "I just think you should know the important role you play in the safety of this village. He is a great asset to the force, and there will be a time when he will be allowed to join the active dispatch ranks like everyone else. He's unstable, you know he is, all I'm hoping for is for you to give him a reason to stay. If not, at least give us a heads up just so we're ready."

There were many things wrong with what was just said, mainly that they assumed they were in command of his actions at all. Uchiha Sasuke was not like 'everyone else', he was not a timed seal that needed tearing apart, he was a human being who was betrayed by everyone he trusted.

Even after everything, he still held on to hope that somewhere out there, **some**one was still worth trusting, and that's the purest of heart anyone could ever be.

"Is that what you say to every new bride?" She asked gently, picking at imaginary dirt under her nails.

Tsunade was startled with the sudden sarcasm, or was it displeasure? Was the sweet Hyuuga really capable of negative emotions? "Well… Not really. I'd say it to Sakura but she already knows what she's getting into, and Naruto isn't likely to go godmode on us. Congratulations, by the way, I hadn't actually said it."

With a quiet intake of breath, Hinata looked up and smiled. "Thank you, Hokage sama. But I don't think it's fair of you to do this to him, not when you let them pass the order to discard him when he was sick. Not when you know the whole story about what happened the last few days. Not when you know what his life had been like because of orders like this." the blurry barrier was confined to her eyelids, she was still in the safe. "So please don't ask me to repeat the vicious cycle we just barely broke, I know you mean well and I would never allow anyone to harm the village, but don't you think he always makes himself out to be the bad guy because you treat him like nothing else?" the tears remained stubborn on her lashes when she set her head high, the Hokage was displeased but speechless. "Please set him free, that is everything he needs. He will never disappoint you if you just _trust_ him."

* * *

Two floors down the Hokage tower where she spent two hours describing the situation to an archives script writer, his voice pushed that reset button at the center of her ribcage.

Like a cat straining to hear that feint sound again, she found herself abandoning her mission to find the exit and followed an invisible trail to the office of one Morino Ibiki. Both men made her heart beat, one out of relief and the other out of pure horror.

Were they interrogating Sasuke again? Was he hurt? Did they use coercion to extract information the way they did last time?

She wasn't on speaking terms with him when that went on, but it bothered her on a moral level that people she trusted with her safety would do that to one of their own.

She'd been told it was necessary, she'd heard there was no other choice and she allowed herself to be persuaded into accepting it.

Now that he stood before her, whole and without injury, she realized it was never okay, it was never necessary and someone should have supported him through it if not stopped it.

The strong façade she'd been wearing all the way down the elevator and through the offices broke all in one go, and she stood there in front of two startled -and fairly uncomfortable- shinobi, crying like a little girl who got lost in the night parade.

Behind her hands she had no way of telling which one had left the room, and a part of her was too scared to look up and find it had been the boy she'd spent the whole morning searching for.

The gentle scent of campfire wrapped around her before his arms did, they were both strangers to physical affection, it was unfamiliar territory and she didn't know if he was apologizing for not meeting her until now, or if he was trying to pacify her long enough to tell her they banished him or something.

He didn't say anything, and slowly she came to the realization that he'd been like this since she announced they were getting married. Her quiet hiccups instantly shifted to a quiet laugh and she looked up, glad for the heavenly inspiration that would save her from this anxiety once and for all. "You don't have to marry me if that's what's bothering you, I don't mind!"

The discomfort on his face and the words he'd prepared on his lips gathered into a tight scowl. "Who did you talk to?"

Blink. Blink. "I'm talking to you…?"

"Before coming here." His lips pressed together in suppressed anger, the same face he made every time she smiled to him across the street on those bad days.

"Tsuande sama…?"

"She told you to break it up? I'll barbeque that hag and feed her tongue to the pig." The morbid promises he mumbled as he headed to the door turned into a quiet grumble when the girl refused to let go of his arm.

"She didn't! Nobody did! You just- I _know_ you don't want to, you always look at me with that angry face when I've done something wrong…"

"I was born with this face." The tightness between his brows and the straight line of his shoulders relaxed, she was fighting a laugh and if Hinata was laughing, there's still hope. "What did she say?"

"Well… She wanted me to keep an eye on you and report to them if you're up to no good…" He responded to her hushed words by leaning closer, and for a few shallow breaths she thought he was coming in for a kiss. The heat radiating off his skin distracted her long enough to be startled by his insulted reaction.

"What did you tell her?"

She opened her mouth, closed it, and then tried again. "Would you believe me either way?"

"I would." He quipped bitterly, "I don't like it, but I would. So choose your words carefully."

She smiled. "I don't have to, you know I'm not good with lies and mind games." Her shoulders shrugged in defeat when it seemed like he was still waiting for an answer. "I said no. You can believe me or not, I don't mind either way."

There goes that angry face again, except, maybe it wasn't an expression of anger at all.

He was thinking deeply about something, and that involved asking himself how he felt about it. It came naturally to her to separate her mind from her heart and evaluate things rationally, perhaps not everyone could do that on short notice.

she tried to help, knowing that if he told the truth, it might be the last thing they ever speak to the other. "Please just be honest, you can tell me anything. Why are you really upset?"

When he finally answered, he looked at her like she was a regretful purchase. "Look… That mission I gave you could have been pulled off with any Hyuuga, but I chose you because I thought I'd give you a chance to travel solo for a while, maybe you'll run around to find yourself or whatever. I didn't expect you to be chained down to me when we got back. I don't like the way it turned out this way, but I've been after you for –what, a year now? Don't use me as an excuse if you want to call it off, and if you really just _don't mind_ then maybe I'm better off, too."

A sort of vacant void opened at two places at once, the first in her head, she had no more words to say because all she had now was a fluttery heart. The other void was his eyes, his expression was blank and emotionless, there was no way to tell if this was what he really wanted or if he was lying through his teeth to set her free. So she let her heart do the thinking since her mind was offline. "Actually… I _do_ mind. I mind a lot. I just don't know what else to say for you to choose freely."

He sighed, frustrated, and the hair that danced around her face fascinated him. She caught herself hoping he would brush it back like he did those few times on windy days, or break under pressure and just kiss her; heck she'll take a lame joke or two as long as they didn't have to wait in silence for this stalemate to resolve itself.

He spoke first, quietly and matter-of-factly. "They've sacked me from HR and returned one of their guys to head office, but I think I did all I could already, so I'm not pushing it. I was just talking to Ibiki about a position in intelligence, they like the idea of someone who can extract information from the dead and it's not a bad deal either. I think old hag put him up to it, now that i think about it." He waited for a response but there wasn't one. "I won't make the angry face anymore, so if you're having second thoughts just say it. I'd rather not sign up for a long term contract if I'm not staying, and to tell the truth, I'm tired of chasing you."

For the third time now he'd said it, or rather, _not_ said it.

He was only staying here for her, only her, and he was desperate for a solid confirmation.

It didn't help that those were the words he chose, they were the last thing he said to her before he disappeared into a coma, startling her into realizing that his absence from her life was very much noticeable.

She worried then, just as she did now, that maybe it was the wrong time, maybe he didn't mean it, maybe there was another possibility that wasn't them getting married for real.

The difference now is that she'd thought it was common sense to go through with it considering the situation, automatically like going to school and training for missions and learning first aid. She'd not fantasized about being his wife or even imagined what it would be like to actually live with him in his house, to eat with him every day and have him see the scars on her skin.

She was scared this time not because it was the legendary shinobi with a troublesome past she was marrying, but because there was no mistaking it now: there was no other possibility but him asking for her hand in marriage out of an informed and conscious decision.

It was completely different from Naruto. There were no fireworks in the sky with a dramatic violin soundtrack, there weren't hurdles to overcome to prove herself nor were there flashy declarations of eternal love at the end of the race track, definitely no pitiful antics to be noticed or the drastic measures she had to take to land a private conversation with the blond.

Uzumaki Naruto will always hold a special place in her heart, he will always be the best friend she could rely on, he will always be the boy who supported her when she had no one else, he will always, _always_, be her greatest motivator.

Sasuke, though…

He fit in her arms comfortably, but more than that, he fit into her life effortlessly; like water finding its way into every corner and dip without overflowing a single drop or stretching the container too thin.

It was about time to come clean, she was the one who was too scared to admit it.

They were already married. More married than those who wore rings and white dresses, more in tune with the other than those who'd had three sips of sake and thirty days of honeymoon in the Land of Tea.

Sasuke made actual effort to understand her by listening to what she said and asking about what she thought, he physically went into the women's romance novel isle in the bookstore just to experience firsthand why she enjoyed them, attended boring Hyuuga ceremonies for her and tolerated a sister who hated his guts without once asking for something in return.

He let her come into his house and make him food, he showed her sides of him nobody else would understand, and when life pulled them in opposite directions he always managed to find middle ground; an office or an apartment building or a small secluded booth in a quiet teashop.

When her family and friends assumed, he asked straight out. When the others told her what to do, he asked what she _wanted_ to do. When she was trapped he offered her an exit, he _always_ found her a way out, even now he was willing to let her go if marrying him felt like a trap.

He _wanted_ to be with her but only if she wanted it too, not for her reputation or honor, not even for the greater good of the village.

Right here, right now, the thought of being with him didn't come to her as vividly as it did other possible candidates, yet it was, strangely and unexpectedly, not as debilitating as if he had been some arranged aristocrat's son.

She'd never looked forward to normal things while thinking of herself as married, there were always expectations and standards and _so little time_. She'd been willing to cast aside her hobbies for a busy social schedule in another land, to hide herself from a husband who had little tolerance to humor her fascination with dead flowers or her tendency to pause during every walk to meow at stray cats. Even neglecting her training and personal ambitions to raise strong healthy children didn't sound too far of a stretch.

She didn't fantasize about it, that was fact, but wasn't it because she was already living it? Buying bread together in the store, being told that shade of lipstick was unflattering, talking about children and paperwork and family members who were never coming back.

It wasn't that there was no other option, it wasn't that Naruto was no longer available; she loved Uchiha Sasuke.

It was different and a lot of people will not understand, but it was love nonetheless.

"I'm free?" Her whisper caused him to look away and make that face again, taking her question for a declaration of finality.

…It wasn't anger on his face, now that she could see it up close.

It was pain.

He was in pain when they were apart, he was in pain when she cried, he was in pain all those times he held her gaze and told her to leave him alone.

"Mm." With that he released the breath he'd been holding and headed stiffly for the door.

"So I can be selfish now?" she held his hand in hers, smiling when their eyes met. "Can I tell you not to go?" Her other hand found his tight fist, she had to peek under the curtain of his fringe to find his glowering face. "Can I hug you whenever I want? Can I kiss you without asking for permission?"

If anything, that brought him even more anguish, evident in the lines around his mouth he inherited from his father. "I can't tell anymore if you're teasing or not. Just spit it out."

She didn't have to hide the thin stream of happy tears that washed away the traces of the sad ones, she didn't have to hide _anything_ from him. "Please stay and let me be selfish for a little bit more. Please give me lots of hugs and kisses, too. I'll rub your back and wear a ring if you want, but I'm free to do what I want so maybe I'll take the ring off when I'm washing dishes." Her hands found his face to brush away too-long clumps of fringe. "Please marry me, Uchiha Sasuke. Please allow me to be happy."

"You're merciless." Was what he said, but then he kissed her so many times it didn't matter what words he used, he loved her and it showed; and that was enough.


	24. Chapter 24 (Final)

**My One In A Million**

Chapter Twenty Four (Final):

Some loose-lipped woman with a voice too loud was chatting at the door to the apothecary about the miserable crazy boy who took a shovel to his parent's grave.

"He must have finally snapped," she'd said, "looking for the dead in the dirt. I saw him toss around the remains of their house like a crazy person, not like he'll find them buried there, the poor bastard."

"He's dangerous," her friend replied with nods of sympathy, "I don't know why they keep him around after last time, didn't he try to kill one of us?"

"The Hyuuga's daughter? First they say they were engaged then they were not, he kidnapped her and then he didn't, some people say they get along and sometimes they don't. It's all over the place, wonder what they're really hiding."

"I always thought he wasn't ready to fit into society, now you believe me!" someone chimed in, an old lady who couldn't tell the difference between thyme and lime.

"Poor girl," they agreed, "To be fed to the serpent like that, what a merciless era we live in."

"You don't even know what happened." Hinata told them as she accepted the bag of scented oils from the girl at the counter. "Maybe he saved her life."

"How would you know?"

"Look at her eyes, she's a Hyuuga, they _see_ things, they know."

"Nobody knows! It's his word against all of us!"

"I go for the sound of reason, that kid can't be trusted either way."

"I agree. Better be safe than sorry."

"Do _you_ know them?"

Hinata breathed a quiet exhale and excused herself. She knew the look on their faces: the expectant doe eyes of people who wanted to be told they're right. The conversation grew louder when she left the store, the clerk must have informed them of her name and now their wheel of gossip will turn once more.

It's been two weeks since they stamped their thumbprints onto the registration scroll, two weeks they've been married and still there were people in this village who don't believe it happened.

Most of them didn't even know her personally, they were just opposed to the idea of an outsider stealing away one of their own.

Even though technically he wasn't an outsider, and more importantly, people who didn't know her face had no right to have opinions on her life choices.

Hinata made her way down the snow-scraped road to the Hyuuga district with the intention of borrowing some supplies from storage. Today felt like a good day to make some fresh balm, Hanabi had scalded her wrist on the frying pan this morning and refused to use the sesame extract in the fridge because 'it was smelly'.

Aww, she must have found someone she liked, that girl only worried about her appearance when a boy was involved!

Hinata, unaware of the smile on her face, stopped at the frosted bushes of red and white blossoms to watch an Uchiha-crested man tear through them with a shovel.

The knocking of glass containers in her bag alarmed him to her presence, he stared at her for five seconds, then pointed a muddy finger at the bucket by her feet.

Sasuke accepted the load of gravel and poured it over the brown snow, filling the space between some uniformly-arranged bricks. They look like they've been picked out of the rubble with care, their shapes were similar and their colors varied. He knelt on hands and knees to level the pebbles down to fill the corners, making a nice flat rectangle shape that faced the street, and when he was satisfied with his handiwork he pushed to his feet and stood next to her to admire it.

Itachi's gravestone stood in bright sunlight amidst the Camelia blossoms that defied nature itself, evergreen and proud.

Hinata picked a delicate stick of incense from her bag and, after a quick breath from him, set it at the base.

Together, they offered a brief prayer for peace and forgiveness.

He picked up his shovel and let her carry her noisy purchases in the empty bucket. "It's my garden, I do what I want."

She giggled. "I didn't say anything."

"You thought it."

She brushed away a small sliver of wood that was stuck to his scarf before realizing that he was covered in them. Was he rolling around in shrapnel? "It looks nice."

His sigh was directed to the silent stone at their feet. "Not like anyone else will visit."

"I'll come."

"You'll get bored, eventually."

"I prayed for _you_ every day." Her blush was because he looked at her like a lost puppy, and because it never occurred to her she'd be married to him the next time she prayed here.

Some branches he'd tossed aside to make room for the gravestone had small blossoms on them, too small to worry about, too pretty to throw in the bin. "Is it okay if I take some of these?"

"And plant them in the back yard?" He rolled his eyes.

She smiled. "No, I want to um… Well, sometimes I like to dry flowers and make them into bookmarks."

"Is that what they are?" To her surprise he wasn't demeaning about it, in fact he picked up a few clean branches and stuck them in the bucket. "I got in trouble for ripping one open once."

"You're not supposed to open them! They fall apart!"

"Or so I learned. It was a gift or something, mom was furious." He brushed away a clingy strand of hair from his eyes and refused to acknowledge the tingling in his cheeks. "So what have you got there?"

She followed him down the road in the opposite direction of the Hyuuga district. "A few things from the apothecary."

Sasuke made a face, "That awful place? The owner would rather eat her own foot than sell me something."

_But the owner was a very nice lady who gave her gifts!_ "What do you need?"

"Nothing. I just remember going in to get something for muscle pain, you know how rehab works. I was this close to pinning her to the ceiling and leaving her there."

She tried not to laugh, it would be disrespectful to the woman and might encourage him to actually do it. "Menthol rub from the store works just as well!"

He hummed and shifted the shovel to the other shoulder so he could look at her. "Her loss. Why, did you plan to buy things for me in secret?"

"I would make them for you." The rattling bottles in the bucket couldn't make much on their own, but with some coconut oil and pure wax, she could do wonders.

He couldn't decide if he was impressed or annoyed. "And you just _happen_ to know how to make medicine, too? Is there something else I need to know about, secret courses you attended in that secret Hyuuga school?"

"There's no such thing!" she laughed, he turned his smirk to his feet.

Two weeks in and he was still shy about showing her a smile, or maybe he didn't know how to smile just yet.

A glance back at the flowers hiding the newly installed gravestone sobered her up. This wasn't all about her, he was finally ready to move on, allowing himself some closure, accepting that he needed to go to the next stage of mourning sooner or later.

She wanted to be there for him if he would let her.

"Ne, will you be setting others up for your parents?"

The other side of his mouth curved up, "I like it when you say ne." and then realizing that he'd said it out loud, he scratched his head and answered more seriously. "Probably. Mother, at least." She didn't ask why, he was relieved. "I don't want to turn it into a graveyard, though. That's depressing."

She watched their footsteps on the irregular flat stones of the street, it was a nice slow pace to talk through in the fresh afternoon breeze. "What will you do?"

"Haven't decided yet, maybe build a complex or two, and a supermarket. I definitely want the main house to be here, big and intimidating." He pointed to the distance with the tip of the shovel. "The police station used to be over there before they canceled the whole payroll, of course by then most of the police force was gone…"

"We had police officers?!"

Her curios smile did a number on his pulse, he hid it well. "Yeah, of course. They had impressive uniforms and everything."

"Will you bring it back? We have peacemakers sent out but no one specific for little things inside the village."

"Probably not, it caused a lot of controversy."

She didn't bring herself to ask, everyone knew about the many issues the Uchiha had with the village's founding families, this must also be one of them. There was very little she can say without turning the peaceful conversation sour, so she trusted him to pick it up again if he still had more to say.

Slowly the reality of the situation settled in her gut like bad milk. He walked next to her, close enough to feel the warmth of his body and smell the scent of his soap, but his eyes were set on some distant point only he could see; lost in memories nobody else could recall.

It crushed her in many ways than one to have lost an uncle, horrified her on a fundamental level when she was old enough to recognize _why_ he was executed, and guilty beyond repair for her father's grief over the loss of his only brother.

But Sasuke did not lose a brother, not a parent, not even two parents; he'd lost everyone.

Aunts and uncles and cousins and distant cousins and grandparents and children he'll never get to reminisce with.

He was completely, irreversibly alone, and no amount of wishing or hard work can change that.

Except, maybe…

Her arm curled around his, startling them both into searching the other's face for possible protests. When there was none, she finally spoke her mind. "Ne, I know it's too soon, but one day it won't be just you and me, ok?" Her cheeks heated up at the thought, her lips itched to be chewed when it looked like he didn't understand where she was going with it. "I know you feel all alone now but I'm getting better; my heart feels stronger. If I can, I want- I'd like to have a big family, you won't be alone with a lot of boys and girls, right? There could even be twins, it runs in the family!"

"Oh, that…" He relaxed, then stiffened again when it occurred to him what kind of jutsu he needed to learn to summon a baby. "Oooh… Well, I'm not in a hurry. Are you?"

"No, not at all!" She laughed and blushed and hid her cheek in his scratchy sleeve. A few steps ahead the buzzing in her mind quieted down to rational reality, "Will they be Uchiha or Hyuuga?"

"I don't care, as long as they're happy."

They stopped because Hinata dug her heels and clung to his arm. It seemed like she had something to say, or maybe she was working up the courage to do something more than blink her glossy eyes at him. "I'd like that."

"They might not even have the Sharingan." Sasuke noted when it seemed like the girl had phased out of this world and into her own. Women were strange like that. "As powerful as my Sharingan can get, the Byakugan might be more dominant, genetically speaking."

"Maybe they'll have both!"

"Or neither." He shrugged, "Now that I think about it, I don't think the Hyuuga and Uchiha have ever married before…"

Married… It tickled her on the inside to hear him say it. Up until now it almost felt like he wouldn't admit it all happened, or maybe he didn't know how to stop putting up airs. "No, I don't think anyone ever did. Grandfather was furious when he knew, he said the legends predict a great curse befalls a family that mixes dojutsu with a rivaling clan."

"Curse huh? That explains it." He leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to the tip of her red nose, "You put me under a spell, didn't you?"

"Yes, that is what I did." All she had to do was tip her head up to land herself a kiss, he accepted it even if they both tasted the dirt afterwards.

"When?" He hummed somewhere between the third and fourth attempt at catching her lower lip in his teeth.

"I slipped it in your drink." Her voice shook with the effort to keep the laugh at bay. "A love potion, I poured it in your sake when you weren't looking."

He scoffed, amused. "You learned to make that in secret Hyuuga school, too?"

"Stop!" She laughed, he tried not to laugh; she wouldn't mind getting used to the crinkles around his eyes.

And then Naruto showed up.

He jogged up to join them with a grin so wide his eyes nearly shut. "Look at you, taking a walk together like a bunch of cuties!"

Sasuke wasn't happy with the interruption, or the daft comment that made the girl blush herself silly, even if it was admittedly cute. "Grave-digging cuties." He smacked him in the stomach with the blunt end of the shovel. "What's up?"

"Nyehehe! Nothing much! Just coming over to have one of the grandpas sign this, some boring Hyuuga council stuff."

"Why are _you_ delivering it?" Sasuke's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"I was bored! Grandma Tsunade is all over my ass with paperwork! I hadn't had ramen in six days! Can you believe it? ME!" He considered that with a grimace. "You know, Sakura chan was right! You do kinda bloat after eating it, I just never noticed cause I never stopped eating it every other day! Hahaha!"

"How are you, Naruto kun?"

If Naruto noticed how she edged an inch closer to Sasuke when he looked at her, he didn't comment on it. "I'm great! Looks like I'll be Hokage by the end of the year, I can't wait!"

"That's great news for all the homeless fans out there," The Uchiha scoffed, "Just celebrate everything all at once, your wedding, your inauguration, new years, Christmas; who needs money anyway."

"What are you saying," Naruto made a thumbs-up only to show them the fresh scab on his thumb. "Sakura and I got married just this morning."

Hinata stood like a statue, not because her first love got married, but because her real love was hugging him without reserve.

The shovel was on the ground, the boys clapped each other's backs with more force than necessary, Naruto even sniffled a little. "We wanted a fancy wedding and everything but looking at you going at it like it's nobody's business inspired us! We sign the official stuff now and plan the ceremony whenever! Her parents are alright with it, they're even helping her move in now that it's official hahah! Goddamnit I'm so happy!"

"Stop being pathetic, your nose is running." Sasuke flicked the boy's forehead not too gently and picked up his tools. "Congratulations. Don't screw it up."

"I won't! Geez..."

Hinata offered her congratulations as well, albeit less aggressively. "Congratulations, Naruto kun. I hope you'll be happy forever."

It seemed to mean a lot to him, even when she thought he didn't care anymore. He hugged her and laughed at the peep that escaped her throat; the gesture was brimming with gratitude and unspoken apologies.

Naruto set her down and wiped the corner of his eye stubbornly. "Umh! You be happy too, both of you, I mean it! If Sasuke makes you cry just tell me and I'll turn him to mince meat!"

"You'll become canned tuna if you keep saying that." Sasuke growled.

"Feeh! I'll drop what I got and I'll meet you at the mountain in ten minutes, _then_ we'll see whose pulverizing who!"

"You're on." He set the shovel on Hinata's shoulder, "Just drop it at my door, I'll see you later."

Hinata watched them bicker as they walked away, exchanging jabs of elbows and impolite accusations. To an outsider they could only be enemies itching to end the other, to her who'd watched their backs –both of them- all her life; it was the friendliest sight.

Maybe she was wrong, maybe Sasuke wasn't all alone after all.

With overflowing glee, she followed after them to her father's house to get what she'd come for in the first place, and joined the conversation with confidence she never thought would ever muster.

* * *

Two weeks before the official ceremony she found him in her bed for the first time.

His nose was buried between her back and the mattress, his shirt dangled off the wrist he draped over her side, one of his knees dug into her leg and god knows what that part of his body against her butt was doing there.

It would have been okay if she had been decent, but she was in nothing but shorts and a flimsy tank top.

"Sasuke…?" She whispered, hoping that he was deep asleep so she could slip away to put something decent on.

If anything, her voice woke him up. Damn those sharp shinobi senses! "Hnn?" He groaned, sighed deep and slow, and rubbed his nose between her shoulders. "Why is it so hottt…"

The sound that escaped her throat was a half-laugh half-yelp. "The air conditioning is set to heating, I need to breathe warm air if I want my heart to get better!"

He didn't like that excuse, he didn't like the tangled covers around his ankles and he definitely didn't like her hair falling in ropes on his face every time she shifted. It took him a brooding five minutes to accept that there will be no more sleep to be had, so with groggy reluctance he propped his head on his fist and blinked down at her.

Thankfully, he didn't seem to notice his wrist had been touching her bottom when he pulled it away.

Her first thought was to cover herself with the blanket but it had gotten too tangled up to pull, she could only cover the span of her delicate fingers. "Why are you here?"

If she'd asked any less gently he would have assumed she didn't want him there. "I couldn't sleep."

"Is everything okay? Are they overworking you?"

"No." He'd just started working in intelligence, with her still in HR and busy with the family's constant need to consult her with everything concerning the wedding, they barely had the time to talk at leisure.

"Are you coming down with a cold?"

"Don't think so."

She smiled when it looked like he was going to fall back asleep in that position. "Are the kitties in your back yard being loud?"

He yawned a big yawn and shook his head no. "I had a bad dream. Go ahead and laugh, I don't care."

She didn't, if anything, he became dearer just for seeking her out for relief. "It's ok. I hope you slept well, at least."

His eyes opened a little wider, puffy lids blinked slowly the longer she continued to not mock him. His brows pulled just a tiny bit, his ears reddened just a touch, he kissed her bare shoulder and nodded. "Un."

She brushed back thick hair from his face, giggled when the hand on her hip moved against the more ticklish parts of her side, and covered his face with the heel of her palm when he made to lean in for a kiss. "Hanabi could be watching!"

"That's your main concern?" He mumbled against her palm, not at all upset.

"N- No! Just- well, I need to make breakfast!"

"What are you going to make?"

She squirmed when he started purposely tickling her and held that hand as well. "I don't know yet!"

"Am I invited?"

"Of course you are."

"Every day?"

Her grip on him relaxed, the eyes that peeked through her fingers were serious. "For the rest of your life."

His forehead was warm on her shoulder, his voice thick with sleep. "Good, I'm starting to hate supermarket packed lunches."

She ran her fingers through his hair because now she could, it made her cheeks hot and the tightness in his jaw loosen. "Is there anything specific you'd like to have?"

"Not really."

The tension in his shoulders relaxed the more she caressed his hair, she would have put him back to sleep if she hadn't spoken again. "What kinds of dishes did your mother make?"

A strange pause passed between them where her fingers hovered in the air nervously and he stared at the pores in her skin up close and personal, as if the answer would materialize out of that faded scar on her bicep. "Curry. She made great chicken curry."

"Ok."

"That's for dinner, though. Miso is alright for now."

"Mhmm." Before she knew it they were whispering, as if the secrets of their breakfast menu were far too important to speak about carelessly.

"And rice balls, she always wrapped them in nori after we got to the table so it's still crispy."

"I see." It was a surprise that a complicated man like him enjoyed simple food. One would assume he could only tolerate authentic pasta and fine wine, but no, all he wanted was generic soup and crispy seaweed sheets. "Are you okay with umeboshi for filling?"

"I don't mind it, but I'd rather have salted salmon." He pressed another soft kiss to her shoulder. "Thanks for not tiptoeing around the subject."

She shook her head dismissively and pushed aside his fringe when he finally looked at her. "All the white hairs have gone away."

"Yeah, I also need a haircut." He wrapped his arms around her, pressed his face to the back of her neck and inhaled her sweet scent. "I'm off today, don't wake me."

"Sleep tight!" she patted his arm reassuringly and wiggled her toes to find the edge of the blanket to pull over them. Gradually, his breath grew deeper and slower against her neck, the weight of his arm and the secure cocoon lulled her back to sleep. She didn't care that she would be late for work, she didn't mind that Hanabi might barge in and get the wrong idea. Too many nights she spent wondering if she'll ever be allowed to fall asleep in his arms and now she was here, no matter how much willpower she possessed or how selfless she was expected to be, she was still human.

* * *

The wedding was, despite great planning, short-lived.

It was supposed to be a gruesome and hectic day, but to Hinata it went by in a blur. Styling, dressing, walking to the shrine with the large entourage. Meeting him there, sharing a few sips from the same cup and receiving the blessings of the old monk.

And then it was over.

Getting ready spanned the whole day, but the celebration was over in a blink.

It seemed like everybody was disappointed when it was time for them to leave the hall, everybody except the actual bride and groom. Naruto and Kiba made wolf howls and whistled suggestively, Kurenai and Hanabi cried their mascara off, and Father finally found it in him to hug his eldest daughter in public.

She thought the day would be more stressful, was even prepared to have a meltdown at some point, overall it had been a strangely surreal experience. Sure her stomach tingled when she walked in and he was standing there in all his Uchiha glory, but that was all of it.

She was calm even after they made it back home, to his wide apartment littered with gifts and homemade snacks, even when he started helping her out of the many layers of the pure white kimono and the many strings that kept the outfit together.

She had been so mentally prepared for what's to come that it surprised her when at the last two layers he announced he would be taking a shower, and proceeded to leave her in the bedroom to ponder the confusing knots by herself.

Hinata smiled to her reflection and busied herself with the many ropes one by one, realizing that maybe she wasn't the only one anxious about tonight.

She settled for fresh pajamas and socks for now, and decided to visit the kitchen for some much-needed warm tea. By the time the leaves were steeping in the pot, her husband –now public as well as legal- joined her in the living room dressed in a warm sweater and comfortable pants.

"We're like old people who can't wait to change back into house wear." She offered him a cup with a giddy laugh and joined him at the table. He was quiet, almost too quiet. "Ne, how are you?"

"Good." He nodded to his tea, as an afterthought he added, "And you?"

"Good." Her toes curled and uncurled, the makeup she tried to wash off still lingered on her lips and between her lashes. "Are you nervous?"

"No." He answered instantly, earning himself a disbelieving smile. "Just a little tired. It's alright."

"We can just sleep." She whispered to the rim of her cup. "We're both free for the next thirty days."

"It's not gonna take thirty days!"

His bashfulness was cute, she wouldn't mind waiting all that time if he was going to show her this side of him for a little bit more. "It's not a race, I'm pretty nervous too, actually." His hand found hers over the table, she held on to it tightly.

At some point between the fourth sip of tea and the mother cat joining her kittens outside, in the peaceful silence that settled in the warm living room, Sasuke set his cup down and crawled around to her end of the table.

She kissed him first, because all day she wasn't allowed to see him and all she wanted was to make sure everything would be alright. Traditional weddings looked down on public shows of affection, and the only kiss they were allowed was an indirect one against the rim of a sake cup.

He kissed back, lightly at first and then sighed his restraint away when she settled in his lap. His lips were curled up because this was a first, she'd never been taller than him before and the curled ends of her fringe were tickling his chin.

"I thought we were just going to sleep." She let him kiss her cheek, her chin, her throat.

"Okay." His voice rumbled between their ribcages, she'd been leaning against him too heavily and he didn't complain. "I'll stop, then. Goodnight."

Her first reaction was surprise, and then she shrunk away to hide her face in his shoulder; he was just teasing her.

"Is it okay if I take this off?" He snickered against her ear, caught the lobe in his teeth after her shy nod and only parted away long enough to pull his shirt over his head.

She smiled against his mouth and allowed her hands to land on his bare shoulders. A timid voice in her head squeaked that she was going too fast, that she should at least pretend to dislike the whole situation in honor of her maidenly status. For the first time in her life she didn't care, she wasn't about to put up airs with the only person who didn't care about pretenses.

She was nervous, but she wasn't scared or disgusted, why pretend otherwise?

Besides, for someone who was forceful in every other aspect of his life, Sasuke was extremely delicate in the way he handled her, his hands, his mouth, even his words were kind.

It will be alright because it was him.

"Ne, I have a confession…"

"Hm?" his forehead was on the crook of her neck, maybe it was a bad idea to rub his back, he sounded like he was falling asleep!

"Well… It- maybe it won't be what you expect at first. I mean… Ah! It's not what you think! But I'm a kunoichi, you know, things happen. The gentle fist style doesn't discriminate between, you know, maybe it won't be…"

He stared at her for a good five minutes, slowly waking up from his sleepy daze. "I have no idea what you're trying to say."

She looked away in embarrassment, "I've never been touched, but you know, a fighter girl can lose it without realizing it! I just don't want you to be disappointed!"

The boy sighed, and not the bad kind of sigh; he was entertained. "Oh, that… Well, you only get disappointed if you have something to compare to."

Her nod stopped midway. "You…? Really?"

"Mm." He squeezed her sides and distracted her with a series of light kisses on the neck. "No one's been worthy enough until now."

All this time she'd convinced herself that she was the only virgin left in the village, and here he was, the boy who traveled everywhere and attracted everyone was just as oblivious.

It was a greater relief than she let on. "Please be gentle."

"Says the one who can kill a man with her pinky."

For a few kisses more it was playful and experimental and interrupted with more laughter than lust, he was warm and obviously trusted her with his life if he let her run her fingers down his chest. It would take a lot of time to have him relax completely to being touched, it's not easy to let down defenses one spent his whole life building.

Sasuke's hands were respectfully still on her arms when she came to realize it was getting undeniably hot in her shirt.

That wasn't what Kurenai said would happen, definitely not what the books said would occur in a haze. Then again this guy never conformed to publications or speculations anyway, why start now?

"Ne, is it okay if I take it off, too?"

It was hilarious how wide his eyes went, like he hadn't expected this to happen within this lifetime. "…Ok."

Red faced and bashful, she let him help her out of the shirt and sat there spitting stray hairs out of her mouth as he looked. She was still in a bra, not a very attractive one as those had uncomfortable wires and lace and too many distractions for a night so basic, so all he got to see was cleavage and a tummy she could never quite tone into rolling abs.

His gaze was fixated on her breasts for so long she had to cover them with her hands in regret, "Stop staring!"

"What is that?"

"It's an old scar…"

"How did you get it?"

Get it…

He asked her how she 'got' it, like a medal of honor or something. He could have asked how it happened like it was some unfortunate accident that caused itself. He could have said anything and it would have made her shy away. Yet, he somehow managed to say the right thing without trying.

"Chuunin exams. You were there, weren't you?"

"I left the hall pretty early." His voice dropped down a notch, the warmth of his hands covered her shaky ones to ease them off the discolored skin. "What happened?"

Maybe later, at a better time, she could elaborate. Not now. "Direct attack to the pressure points, it will never really go away."

"Hmm? I have ones on my neck from a senbon jutsu, I still feel the ache sometimes when it's really cold."

"Or when your clothes are too tight."

"Yeah, exactly! I can't stand shirts with tight collars."

"Or socks." She giggled, he pouted.

"That's just personal preference."

She let him look at the scar for as long as he wanted, he made it seem like it was worth admiring, like it was beautiful.

Like she was beautiful.

She _felt_ beautiful.

Before this moment could pass, before this night turned awkward and uncertain again, Hinata decided to tell him now. "Ne~ I love you."

He heard, the dark eyes that stared straight into her soul confirmed it, instead his response was to take her hand from his forearm and press it to the dark line in the center of his chest, right on his racing heart.

"We match."

**_ - The End_**

* * *

End Notes: They finally found their One In A Million, huh?

I hope this didn't feel too rushed, I know some reviewers noted that Hinata's view of the story was considerably shorter than Sasuke's in terms of chapter number, but that's the fun part. It wasn't just Sasuke's journey, all this time she was there too. That's how life works sometimes, too.

Well, hope you had a good time with this fic, if not, I'm sorry I couldn't make it any better, I'm only human. There are a few mistakes in character names here and there and a bunch of grammatical errors, not gonna pretend they're not there so maybe one day I'll have enough time to go back and fix them. Thanks for everyone who wrote me to point them out, I love it when you guys point these things out! I do all of my editing so sometimes i miss a thing or two or three or five ahahah...

One last thing: there was the occasional review who said something along the lines of: I'll never be as good as you (meaning me), and those kinds of responses to a free fan-made fictional story on the internet about two imaginary characters undo everything good I'm trying to achieve here.

Look, guys, I'm not great, i don't think i qualify as 'good' compared to actual writers out there. English isn't even my first language and I never use that as an excuse, I've never been to Japan to learn all these cultural things i just googled them (wearing kimonos, traditional weddings, ninja tools etc) and writing is something I do as a hobby on the sidelines of my real job as an illustrator. I wasn't born a writer, nobody ever is, but you can work at it if you enjoy doing it. I love writing, I love sitting down and imagining a hundred what-ifs to a single event, I enjoy learning new ways to say the same things, and I feel emotional writing some scenes just as much as you feel emotional reading them!

You can do it if you read a lot of literature to give yourself a solid foundation, read the good to learn from and the bad to know what _not_ to do lol. Keep writing complex characters and don't think twice about chopping off a whole main segment of a story to replace it with something you think will work better. It's okay to make mistakes, I've made them countless times, making lots of mistakes is the only way you can learn to not make lots of mistakes!

Have fun, write anything and everything you want, doesn't matter if it got a hundred reviews or just one, you don't even have to publish it if you don't want to. Use all the online resources you can find, Wikipedia, google maps, youtube videos from other countries, random generators; the world is at your fingertips!

I hope one day we'll meet again in another fanfic or book, so until then, you're beautiful and I love you!  
~Ren


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